Dot code and information recording/reproducing system for recording/reproducing the same

ABSTRACT

A long time optical recording and repeated reproduction of multimedia information is possible. Using a printer system or printing process system, on a recording medium such as a sheet, the so-called multimedia information in the form of dot codes (36) together with images (32) and characters (34) is recorded. The multimedia information includes audio information such as voices, image information obtainable from a camera and others, and digitally coded data obtainable from a personal computer and other. A pen-like information reproducing device (40) is manually moved to scan the dot codes (36) and to take in the dot codes. The original sound is generated by a voice output device (42) such as an earphone, the original image information is outputted on a display such as a CRT, and the digitally coded original data to a page printer or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a dot code suitable for recordingand/or reproducing so-called multimedia information including, e.g.,audio information such as speech and music information, videoinformation obtained by a camera, a video tape recorder, and the like,and digital code data obtained from a personal computer, awordprocessor, and the like and an information recording/reproducingsystem for recording/reproducing the dot code and, more particularly, torecording and/or reproduction of the dot code, which can be opticallyread, on/from paper, various types of resin films, metal sheets, and thelike.

As media for recording speech information, music information, and thelike, a magnetic tape, an optical disk, and the like are known.

Even if, however, copies of these media are produced in largequantities, the unit cost of production is relatively high, and storageof such copies requires a large space.

In addition, when a medium on which speech information is recorded needsto be transferred to a person in a remote place, it takes much labor andtime to mail or directly take the medium to the person.

Under the circumstances, attempts have been made to record speechinformation on a paper sheet in the form of image information which canbe transmitted in facsimile and allows production of copies in largequantities. As disclosed in, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAIPublication No. 60-244145, an apparatus for converting speechinformation into image information by converting some speech informationinto an optical code, and allowing it to be transmitted in facsimile hasbeen proposed.

In the apparatus disclosed in the above official gazette, a sensor forreading speech information recorded as information which can beoptically read is arranged in a facsimile apparatus so that speech canbe reproduced in accordance with an output from the sensor. Therefore,speech information transmitted in facsimile, which can be opticallyread, can only be heard at a place where the facsimile apparatus isinstalled. That is, it is not assumed that a facsimile output sheet istaken to another place to reproduce sounds.

For this reason, if the recording capacity for speech information is setto be large, facsimile transmission/reception of information other thanspeech information may be adversely affected. In addition, if thecontents of speech information recorded are difficult to be understood,the first part of the speech may be forgotten in the process ofreproducing speech information in large quantities. Furthermore, theabove apparatus can only transmit speech of a duration of only a fewseconds because the recording capacity is limited by the recordingdensity and a compression method. Therefore, a magnetic tape, an opticaldisk, or the like is indispensable for transmitting a large amount ofspeech information.

Since the reproducing apparatus itself is incorporated in a facsimileapparatus, it is troublesome to perform repetitive reproduction ofspeech information even during a short duration. Moreover, aninexpensive, large-capacity recording/reproducing system for all theso-called multimedia information, which includes not only audioinformation but also, e.g., video information obtained by a camera, avideo tape recorder, and the like, digital code data obtained from apersonal computer, a wordprocessor, and the like, has not yet beenrealized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above point,and has as its object to provide a dot code allowing inexpensive,large-capacity recording and repetitive reproduction of multimediainformation including audio information, video information, digital codedata, and the like, and an information recording/reproducing system forrecording/reproducing the dot code.

In order to achieve the above object, an information recording systemaccording to the present invention is characterized by comprising inputmeans for inputting multimedia information including at least one ofaudio information, video information, and digital code data, conversionmeans for converting multimedia information input by the input meansinto a dot code which can be optically read, and recording means forrecording the dot code converted by the conversion means on a recordingmedium such that the dot code can be optically read.

A dot code according to the present invention is characterized bycomprising a plurality of blocks, each of the blocks including a datadot pattern obtained by arranging a plurality of dots in accordance withcontents of data, a marker having a pattern which cannot be identical tothe data dot pattern and arranged to have a first predeterminedpositional relationship with respect to the data dot pattern, a blockaddress pattern indicating an address of the block arranged to have asecond predetermined positional relationship with respect to the marker,and an error detection code pattern arranged for the block address tohave a third predetermined positional relationship with respect to theblock address pattern.

An information reproducing system according to the present invention ischaracterized by comprising read means for optically reading a dot codefrom a recording medium having a portion on which multimedia informationincluding at least one of audio information, video information, anddigital code data is recorded as the dot code which can be opticallyread, restoring means for converting the dot code read by the read meansinto the original multimedia information, and output means foroutputting the multimedia information restored by the restoring means.

In this case, the restoring means includes first memory means forstoring the dot code read by the read means, marker detecting means fordetecting a marker of each block from the dot code stored in the firstmemory means, data array direction detecting means for detecting a dataarray direction from the marker of each block which is detected by themarker detecting means, first address control means for causing thefirst memory means to output the stored dot code in accordance with thedata array direction detected by the data array detecting means,demodulation means for demodulating the dot code output from the firstmemory means upon binarization, block address detecting means fordetecting the block addresses from the demodulated output data from thedemodulation means, second address control means for mapping thedemodulated output data from the demodulation means in the second memorymeans in accordance with the block addresses detected by the blockaddress detecting means, and data output means for outputting thedemodulated output data mapped in the second memory means.

Alternatively, the restoring means includes first memory means forstoring the dot code read by the read means, marker detecting means fordetecting a marker of each block from the dot code stored in the firstmemory means, data array direction detecting means for detecting a dataarray direction from the marker of each block which is detected by themarker detecting means, block address detecting means for detecting theblock addresses in accordance with the data array direction detected bythe data array direction detecting means, demodulation means fordemodulating the dot code output from the first memory means uponbinarization, address control means for mapping the demodulated outputdata from the demodulation means in second memory means in accordancewith the block addresses detected by the block address detecting means,and data output means for outputting the demodulated output data outputfrom the demodulation means and mapped in the second memory means.

That is, according to the information recording system of the presentinvention, multimedia information including at least one of audioinformation, video information, and digital code data input through theinput means is converted, by the conversion means, into a code which canbe optically read, and the code is recorded on a recording medium by therecording means so as to be optically read.

In this case, the dot code is obtained by arranging the plurality ofblocks, and each block includes the data dot pattern obtained byarranging the plurality of dots in accordance with the contents of data,the marker having the pattern which cannot be identical to the data dotpattern and arranged to have the first predetermined positionalrelationship with respect to the data dot pattern, the block addresspattern indicating the address of the block arranged to have the secondpredetermined positional relationship with respect to the marker, andthe error detection code pattern arranged for the block address to havethe third predetermined positional relationship with respect to theblock address pattern. Therefore, the array direction of the data, i.e.,a rotation and an inclination, can be detected by connecting the markersof the respective blocks, and correction corresponding to the detectioncan be easily performed.

In addition, according to the information reproducing system of thepresent invention, the read means optically reads the dot code from therecording medium having the portion on which the multimedia informationincluding at least one of audio information, video information, anddigital code data is recorded as the dot code which can be opticallyread, the restoring means converts the read dot code into the originalmultimedia information, and the output means outputs the restoredmultimedia information.

In this case, the restoring means stores the dot code, read by the readmeans, in the first memory means, detects, by the marker detectingmeans, the marker of each block from the stored dot code, detects, bythe data array direction detecting means, the data array direction fromthe detected marker of each block, and outputs, by the first addresscontrol means, the dot code stored in the first memory in accordancewith the detected data array direction. The restoring means thendemodulates, by the demodulation means, the dot code output from thefirst memory means upon binarization, detects, by the block addressdetecting means, the block addresses from the demodulated output data,and maps, by the second address control means, the demodulated outputdata from the demodulation means in the second memory means inaccordance with the detected block addresses. Thereafter, the restoringmeans outputs, by the data output means, the demodulated output datamapped in the second memory means.

Alternatively, the restoring means stores the dot code, read by the readmeans, in the first memory means, detects, by the marker detectingmeans, the marker of each block from the stored dot code, and detects,by the data array direction detecting means, the data array directionfrom the detected marker of each block. The restoring means thendetects, by the block address detecting means, the block addresses inaccordance with the data array direction detected by the data arraydirection detecting means. Meanwhile, the restoring means demodulates,by the demodulation means, the dot code output from the first memorymeans upon binarization, and maps, by the address control means, thedemodulated output data from the demodulation means in second memorymeans in accordance with the block addresses detected by the blockaddress detecting means. Thereafter, the restoring means outputs, by theoutput means, the demodulated data output from the demodulation meansand mapped in the second memory means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a recordingapparatus for audio information as a dot code in the first embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2A is a view showing the recording format of a dot code, and FIG.2B is a view showing an operated state of a reproducing apparatusaccording to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of the reproducingapparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are views for explaining manual scanning operations,respectively, and FIGS. 4C and 4D are views for explaining scanconversion, respectively;

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining data interpolation accompanying scanconversion;

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining data array adjustment;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are views respectively showing recording media;

FIG. 8 is a view showing the arrangement of a reproducing apparatusaccording to the second embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a view showing the arrangement of a reproducing apparatusaccording to the third embodiment;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are perspective views, each showing an outerappearance of a portable voice recorder;

FIG. 11 is a view showing the circuit arrangement of the portable voicerecorder;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are views, each showing an example of informationprinted on a recording medium;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing dot code printing processing in thevoice recorder in FIG. 11;

FIGS. 14A and 14B perspective views, each showing an outer appearance ofanother portable voice recorder;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a multimediainformation recording apparatus;

FIG. 16 is a view showing the concept of a dot code;

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing an arrangement of a multimediainformation reproducing apparatus; FIG. 18 is a timing chart of lightsource emission in the multimedia information reproducing apparatus inFIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a view showing another arrangement of the multimediainformation reproducing apparatus;

FIG. 20A is a view showing a dot code, which is also applied to thereproducing apparatus in FIG. 3, to explain a data array adjustingsection in the multimedia information reproducing apparatus in FIG. 17,FIG. 20B is a view showing a linear marker of the dot code in FIG. 20A,FIG. 20C is a view for explaining a scanning method, and FIG. 20D is aview for explaining the scan pitch of an image pickup element;

FIG. 21 is a view showing the actual arrangement of the data arrayadjusting section;

FIGS. 22A to 22C are views, each showing a marker having an arraydirection detection dot;

FIG. 23 is a view showing still another arrangement of the multimediainformation reproducing apparatus;

FIG. 24A is a view for explaining block addresses, FIG. 24B is a viewshowing the arrangement of a block, FIG. 24C is a view showing a markerpattern, and FIG. 24D is a view for explaining the magnification of animage formation system;

FIG. 25 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a marker detectionsection in the multimedia information reproducing apparatus;

FIG. 26 is a flow chart showing processing in a marker determinationsection in FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is a flow chart showing processing in a marker area detectionsection in FIG. 25;

FIG. 28A is a view showing a marker area, FIG. 28B is a view showing thestorage format of a table for storing a detected marker area, and FIGS.28C and 28D are views, each showing a value obtained by accumulating thevalues of the respective pixels in FIG. 28A;

FIG. 29 is a flow chart showing processing in an approximate centerdetection section in FIG. 25;

FIG. 30 is a flow chart showing a center-of-gravity calculationsubroutine in FIG. 29;

FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of the approximatecenter detection section;

FIG. 32 is a view showing an actual arrangement of a data block of a dotcode;

FIG. 33 is a view showing another actual arrangement of a data block ofa dot code;

FIG. 34 is a view showing still another actual arrangement of a datablock of a dot code;

FIG. 35 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a data arraydirection detection section in the multimedia information reproducingapparatus;

FIG. 36 is a flow chart showing the operation of the data arraydirection detection section;

FIG. 37 is a flow chart showing an adjacent marker selection subroutinein FIG. 36;

FIGS. 38A and 38B are views for explaining adjacent marker selection;

FIG. 39 is a view for explaining adjacent marker selection;

FIG. 40A is a view for explaining direction detection, and FIG. 40B is aview for explaining the relationship between m and n in FIG. 40A;

FIG. 41 is a view for explaining another arrangement of a data reversedot;

FIG. 42 is a view for explaining another method of direction detection;

FIG. 43 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a block addressdetection/error determination/accurate center detection section in themultimedia information reproducing apparatus;

FIG. 44 is a flow chart showing the operation of the block addressdetection/error determination/accurate center detection section;

FIG. 45 is a view for explaining the operation of the block addressdetection/error determination/accurate center detection section;

FIG. 46 is a view for explaining the operation of a marker/addressinterpolation section in the multimedia information reproducingapparatus;

FIG. 47 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of an address controlsection in the multimedia information reproducing apparatus;

FIG. 48 is a view for explaining a marker determination formula;

FIG. 49 is a view for explaining another processing method of the markerdetermination section;

FIG. 50 is a view for explaining marker alignment detection;

FIG. 51 is a view showing the arrangement of a light-source-integratedimage sensor;

FIG. 52 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a one-chip ICusing an X-Y addressing image pickup section;

FIG. 53 is a circuit diagram showing the arrangement of a pixel of theX-Y addressing image pickup section;

FIG. 54 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of athree-dimensional IC using the X-Y addressing image pickup section;

FIG. 55 is a view showing an arrangement of a pen type informationreproducing apparatus having a switch for dot code load control;

FIG. 56 is a view showing another arrangement of the pen typeinformation reproducing apparatus having a switch for dot code loadcontrol;

FIG. 57A is a view showing the arrangement of a pen type informationreproducing apparatus adapted for removal of specular reflection, FIG.57B is a view for explaining arrangements of first and second polarizingfilters, and FIG. 57C is a view showing another arrangement of thesecond polarizing filter;

FIG. 58 is a view showing another arrangement of the pen typeinformation reproducing apparatus adapted for removable of specularreflection;

FIG. 59 is a view showing the arrangement of an electrooptical elementshutter;

FIG. 60A is a view showing the arrangement of a pen type informationapparatus using a transparent resin optical waveguide member for a lightsource, FIG. 60B is an enlarged view of a connecting portion between theoptical waveguide member and a reproducing apparatus housing, and FIGS.60C and 60D are views, each showing the arrangement of the distal endportion of the optical waveguide member;

FIG. 61 is a view showing the arrangement of a pen type informationreproducing apparatus using a light-source-integrated image sensor;

FIG. 62 is a view showing the arrangement of a pen type informationreproducing apparatus adapted for color multiplexing;

FIG. 63A is a view for explaining a color multiplex code, FIG. 63B is aview showing an application of a color multiplex code, and FIG. 63C is aview showing an index code;

FIG. 64 is a flow chart showing the operation of a pen type informationreproducing apparatus adapted for color multiplexing;

FIG. 65 is a view showing the arrangement of an image memory section ina case wherein a color image pickup element is used;

FIG. 66A is a view showing another arrangement of the pen typeinformation reproducing apparatus adapted for color multiplexing, andFIG. 66B is a view showing the arrangement of a light source;

FIG. 67A is a view showing a dot data seal on which a stealth type dotcode is recorded, and FIG. 67B is a view showing the arrangement of apen type information reproducing apparatus adapted for a stealth typedot code;

FIG. 68 is a view showing a dot data seal on which a stealth type dotcode is recorded in another form;

FIG. 69 is a view showing the arrangement of a card type adaptor havingan audio output terminal;

FIGS. 70 and 71 are views, each showing the arrangement of a card typeadaptor for a video game apparatus;

FIG. 72 is a view showing an application of a card type adaptor for anelectronic notebook;

FIG. 73 is a view showing an outer appearance of a card type adaptor foran apparatus having no input means and an application of the adaptor;

FIG. 74 is a view for explaining how to use a reel seal printing machinefor printing a dot code on a reel seal;

FIG. 75 is a view showing the internal arrangement of the reel sealprinting machine;

FIG. 76 is a view showing the arrangement of a wordprocessorincorporating a function of recording a multimedia dot code;

FIG. 77 is a view showing the arrangement of an optical copying machineincorporating the function of a multimedia information recordingprocessing section in FIG. 76;

FIG. 78 is a view showing the arrangement of a digital copying machineincorporating the function of the multimedia information recordingprocessing section in FIG. 76;

FIG. 79 is a view showing an arrangement designed to use a pen typeinformation reproducing apparatus as an input section for character andpicture data;

FIG. 80 is a view showing another arrangement designed to use the pentype information reproducing apparatus as an input section for characterand picture data;

FIG. 81 is a view showing the arrangements of a scanner and a card typeadaptor adapted for a data read operation;

FIGS. 82A and 82B are views, each showing a system for scanning a dotcode with a pen type information reproducing apparatus and projectingthe dot code on a screen by using a projector;

FIG. 83 is a view showing the detailed arrangement of an outputprocessing section in FIGS. 82A and 82B;

FIG. 84 is a view showing a case wherein data is output to a copyingmachine, a magnetooptical disk apparatus, and a printer instead of theprojector;

FIG. 85 is a view showing a case wherein an output processing section isdesigned as a card type adaptor;

FIG. 86 is a view showing the detailed arrangement of the outputprocessing section;

FIG. 87 is a view showing an arrangement including a format conversionsection for converting the format of data for each type ofwordprocessor;

FIG. 88 is a view showing the actual arrangement of the formatconversion section;

FIG. 89 is a view showing a case wherein a sheet on which a dot code isrecorded is transmitted/received in facsimile;

FIG. 90 is a view showing the arrangement of a multimedia informationrecording apparatus for a facsimile system;

FIG. 91 is a view showing the arrangement of a multimedia informationrecording apparatus incorporated in a facsimile system;

FIG. 92 is a view showing an arrangement of an overwrite type MMP cardrecording/reproducing apparatus;

FIGS. 93A and 93B are view respectively showing the lower and uppersurfaces of an MMP card;

FIG. 94 is a view showing another arrangement of the overwrite type MMPcard recording/reproducing apparatus;

FIG. 95A is a view showing still another arrangement of the overwritetype MMP card recording/reproducing apparatus, and FIG. 95B is a viewshowing the arrangement of a code pattern recording sheet;

FIGS. 96A and 96B are views respectively showing the lower and uppersurfaces of an MMP card;

FIG. 97 is a view showing still another arrangement of the overwritetype MMP card recording/reproducing apparatus;

FIG. 98A is a view showing the arrangement of a direct-read-after-writetype MMP card recording/reproducing apparatus, and FIG. 98B is a blockdiagram showing the arrangement of a recorded area detection section inFIG. 98A;

FIG. 99 is a view showing another arrangement of the recorded areadetection section;

FIG. 100 is a view showing an MMP card on which a recorded marker iswritten;

FIG. 101 is a view showing an MMP name card system;

FIGS. 102A and 102B are views respectively showing the upper and lowersurfaces of an MMP name card;

FIGS. 103A and 103B are plan views showing an MMP card formed by asemiconductor wafer etching system, in which FIG. 103A shows a statewherein a protective cover is closed, and FIG. 103B shows a statewherein the protective cover is open;

FIGS. 104A and 104B are a plan view and a side view showing another MMPcard formed by the semiconductor wafer etching system, and FIG. 104C isa view for explaining the arrangement of a pawl portion;

FIG. 105 is a view showing a disk apparatus with a dot code decodingfunction;

FIG. 106 is a view showing dot codes and indexes;

FIG. 107 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of the diskapparatus with the dot code decoding function;

FIGS. 108A and 108B are a view and a side view showing the arrangementof the rear cover of a camera adapted for recording a multimediainformation data code;

FIG. 109A is a view showing another arrangement of the rear cover of thecamera adapted for recording a multimedia information dot code, FIG.109B is a view showing the arrangement of an LED unit, FIG. 109C is aview showing a data back-side signal electrode, and FIGS. 109D and 109Eare views, each showing an LED unit moving mechanism;

FIG. 110 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of the cameraadapted for recording a multimedia information dot code; and

FIG. 111 is a view showing photographic printing paper on which amultimedia information dot code is recorded.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below withreference to the accompanying drawings. An embodiment associated withaudio information, e.g., speech and music information, of multimediainformation will be described first.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of an audioinformation recording apparatus for recording audio information such asspeech and music information as a digital signal which can be opticallyread according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

An audio signal input through a speech input device 12 such as amicrophone or audio output device is amplified (AGC is performed if thesignal is a speech signal from a microphone) by a preamplifier 14.Thereafter, the signal is converted into a digital signal by an A/Dconverter 16. This digital audio signal is subjected to data compressionin a compression circuit 18. An error correction code is then added tothe signal by an error correction code addition circuit 20.

After this operation, the resultant data is interleaved by a memorycircuit 22. In this interleaving, a data array is two-dimensionallydispersed in advance in accordance with a certain rule. With thisoperation, when the data is restored to its original array by areproducing apparatus, a burst-like stain and flaw on a paper sheet,i.e., an error itself is dispersed, thereby facilitating errorcorrection and data interpolation. This interleave processing isperformed by reading out data from a memory 22A through an interleavecircuit 22B.

The output data from the memory circuit 22 is modulated by a modulationcircuit 26 to be recorded after a marker, x and y addresses indicatingthe two-dimensional address of a block, and an error determination codeare added to the data in units of blocks in accordance with apredetermined recording format (to be described in detail later) by adata addition circuit. Data such as image data to be recorded togetherwith the output data of the above audio information is superposed by asynthesis circuit 27. The resultant data is then processed by a printersystem or a printing plate making system 28 to be printed.

With this operation, the data is recorded on a paper sheet 30 in theform shown in FIG. 2A. More specifically, the sound data as the digitalsignal is printed as recorded data 36 together with an image 32 andcharacters 34. In this case, the recorded data 36 is constituted by aplurality of blocks 38. Each block is constituted by a marker 38A, anerror correction code 38B, audio data 38C, x address data 38D, y addressdata 38E, and an error determination code 38F.

Note that the marker 38A also serves as a sync signal. As the marker38A, a pattern which does not generally appear in recording modulationis used as in a DAT technique. The error correction code 38B is used forerror correction of the audio data 38C. The audio data 38C correspondsto an audio signal input through the speech input device 12 such as amicrophone or audio output device. The x and y address data 38D and 38Eare data representing the position of the block 38. The errordetermination code 38F is used for error determination of these x and yaddresses.

The recorded data 36 having such a format is printed/recorded by theprinter system or the printing plate making system 28 in such a mannerthat the presence and absence of a dot respectively represent data of"1" and data of "0", similar to, e.g., a bar code. Such recorded datawill be referred to as a dot code hereinafter.

FIG. 2B shows a scene where sound data recorded on the paper sheet 30shown in FIG. 2A is read by a pen type information reproducing apparatus40. The user traces the dot code 36 with the pen type informationreproducing apparatus 40 shown in FIG. 2B to detect the dot code 36.Upon conversion of the dot code into a sound, the user can hear thesound through a speech output device 42 such as an earphone.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of the informationreproducing apparatus 40 according to the first embodiment of thepresent invention. The overall information reproducing apparatus of thisembodiment is housed in a portable pen type housing (not shown) exceptfor the speech output device 42 such as a headphone or earphone. As isapparent, a loudspeaker may be incorporated in the housing.

A detection section 44 basically has the same function as that of animage pickup section such as a television camera. More specifically, thedot code 36 on the surface of the paper sheet as a subject to bephotographed is irradiated by a light source 44A, and reflected light isdetected, as an image, by an image pickup section 44D constituted by asemiconductor area sensor and the like through an image formationsystem44B such as a lens and a spatial filter 44C. The detected image isthen amplified by a preamplifier 44E to be output.

In this case, the pixel pitch of the area sensor is set to be smallerthan the dot pitch of the dot code 36 on the imaging plane owing to thesampling theorem. In addition, the spatial filter 44C set on the imagingplane is inserted on the basis of this theorem to prevent a moire effect(aliasing) on the imaging plane. In consideration of a shake of thedetection section 44 when it is manually scanned as shown in FIG. 4A,the number of pixels of the area sensor is set to be larger than a valuecorresponding to the vertical width of a predetermined dot code 36prescribed as the amount of data which can be read by one readoperation. That is, each of FIGS. 4A and 4B shows how the image pickuparea moves at a given period when the detection section 44 is manuallyscanned in the direction indicated by the arrow. More specifically, FIG.4A shows a state of manual scanning wherein the vertical width of thedot code 36 is set within the image pickup area (a shake of the imagepickup area is taken into consideration). FIG. 4B shows a case whereinthe vertical width of the dot code 36 cannot be set within the imagepickup area in one scanning operation because the amount of the dot code36 is large. In the latter case, a manual scanning marker 36A is printedat each manual scanning start position of the dot code 36 to indicatethe start position. The dot code 36 in the large amount can be detectedby performing manual scanning a plurality of number of times along themanual scanning markers 36A.

An image signal detected by the detection section 44 in the above manneris input to a scan conversion/lens distortion correction section 46. Inthe scan conversion/lens distortion correction section 46, first of all,the input image signal is converted into a digital signal by an A/Dconverter 46A and stored in a frame memory 46B. This frame memory 46Bhas 8-bit gradation.

A marker detection circuit 46C detects the markers 38A by scanning imageinformation stored in the frame memory 46B in the manner shown in FIG.4C. A θ detection circuit 46D detects a specific address value on theimage pickup plane to which each marker 38A detected by the markerdetection circuit 46C corresponds, and calculates an inclination θ ofthe image pickup plane with respect to the dot code array direction fromeach address value. Note that in scanning in only the direction shown inFIG. 4C, if imaging of the dot code 36 is performed while the dot code36 is rotated through almost 90° from the state shown in FIG. 4C, themarker detection circuit 46C may not properly obtain the inclination θ.For this reason, since the inclination θ cannot be properly obtained byscanning in the widthwise direction, scanning is also performed in adirection perpendicular to the above direction, as shown in FIG. 4D. Ofthe results obtained by scanning in these two directions perpendicularto each other, a correct one is selected.

Aberration information about a lens used for the image formation system44B of the detection section 44, which information is obtained inadvance by measurement and used for lens distortion correction, isstored in a lens aberration information memory 46E. In reading out datafrom the frame memory 46B, an address control circuit 46F supplies theframe memory with a read address based on the inclination θ calculatedby the θ detection circuit 46D and the lens aberration informationstored in the lens aberration information memory 46E, and performs scanconversion in the data array direction while performing datainterpolation in an interpolation circuit 46G.

FIG. 5 shows the principle of data interpolation performed by theinterpolation circuit 46G. Basically, interpolated data is created by aconvolution filter and an LPF using pixels around a position Q wheredata interpolation is performed. The pixel pitch and the scanning linepitch after this scan conversion are set to be smaller than the dotpitch of a dot code on the basis of the sampling theorem as in animaging operation.

In simple data interpolation using four pixels around the interpolationposition Q, interpolated data is created according toQ=(D6×F6)+(D7×F7)+(D10×F10)+(D11×F11). In data interpolation with arelatively high precision, which uses 16 pixels around the position Q,interpolated data is created according to Q=(D1×F1)+(D2×F2)+ . . .+(D16×F16). In these equations, Dn is the data amplitude value of apixel n, and Fn is the coefficient of an interpolation convolutionfilter (LPF) which is determined in accordance with the distance to thepixel n.

The dot code 36 read out from the frame memory 46B, which has undergonescan conversion in the above manner, is binarized by a binarizationcircuit 48 constituted by a latch 48A and a comparator 48B. A thresholdvalue for this binarization is determined by a threshold determinationcircuit 50 using a histogram value or the like for each frame or eachblock in a frame. That is, a threshold value is determined in accordancewith a stain on the dot code 36, distortion of the paper sheet 30, theprecision of a built-in clock, and the like. As this thresholddetermination circuit 50, a circuit using a neural network disclosed in,e.g., Japanese Patent Application No. 4-131051 filed by the presentapplicant is preferably used.

Meanwhile, the dot code 36 read out from the frame memory 46B is inputto a PLL circuit 52 to generate a clock pulse CK synchronized withreproduction data. This clock pulse CK is used as a reference clock forbinarization or demodulation after scan conversion, and an errordetection circuit 56A, an x, y address detection circuit 56B, and amemory section 56C in a data string adjusting section 56 (to bedescribed later).

The binarized data is demodulated by a demodulation circuit 54 and inputto the error detection circuit 56A and the x, y address detectioncircuit 56B in the data string adjusting section 56. The error detectioncircuit 56A determines the presence/absence of errors in the x and vaddress data 38D and 38E by using the error determination code 38F inthe block 38. If no errors are present, the data is recorded on thememory section 56C for audio data string adjustment in accordance withthe address detected by the x, y address detection circuit 56A. If anyerror is present, the audio data 38C of the block 38 is not recorded inthe memory section 56C for audio data string adjustment.

The purpose of this data string adjusting section 56 is to correct asmall offset caused between the data array direction and the scanningdirection after scan conversion owing to precision (influenced by theprecision of a reference clock and the S/N ratio of an image pickupelement) in the above scan conversion and scan conversion in the scanconversion/lens distortion correction section 46, distortion of a papersheet, and the like. This operation will be described with reference toFIG. 6. Referring to FIG. 6, dot codes D1, D2, and D3 are data of therespective blocks. The pitch of scanning lines 1, 2, 3, . . . after scanconversion may be set to be smaller than the dot pitch of data on thebasis of the sampling theorem, as described above. In the case shown inFIG. 6, however, the pitch of the scanning lines is set to be 1/2 thedot pitch to aim for perfection. As is apparent from FIG. 6, therefore,the dot code D1 can be detected by the scanning line 3 after scanconversion without any failure. The dot code D2 is detected by thescanning line 2 after scan conversion without any failure. Similarly,the dot code D3 is detected by the scanning line 1 after scan conversionwithout any failure.

The dot codes are stored in the memory section 56C for data stringadjustment in accordance with the x and y addresses 38D and 38E in therespective blocks 38.

Subsequently, all the speech dot codes 36 on the paper sheet 30 can bestored in the memory section 56C for data string adjustment by manuallyscanning the detection section 44, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

The speech dot codes having undergone data string adjustment in the datastring adjusting section 56 are read out from the memory section 56C fordata string adjustment in accordance with a reference clock CK'generated by a reference clock generation circuit 53 different from thePLL circuit 52 described above. At this time, de-interleave processingof the data is performed by a de-interleave circuit 58 to convert thedata into a formal data string. Error correction is then performed by anerror correction circuit 60 using the error correction code 38B in eachblock 38. The compressed data is decoded by a decoding circuit 62.Furthermore, interpolation of audio data which cannot be corrected byerror correction is performed by a data interpolation circuit 64.Thereafter, the data is converted into an analog audio signal by a D/Aconversion circuit 66. The audio signal is amplified by an amplifier 68and converted into a sound by the speech output device (e.g., anearphone, a headphone, or a loudspeaker) 42.

As described above, audio information such as speech or musicinformation can be recorded on a paper sheet, and the reproducingapparatus is a compact, portable apparatus. Therefore, the user canrepeatedly listen to data which is printed out, the printed datatransmitted in facsimile, or data printed in the form of a book by aprinting plate making technique at any places.

Note that the memory section 56C for data string adjustment in the datastring adjusting section 56 is not limited a semiconductor memory, and adifferent storage medium such as a floppy disk, an optical disk, or amagnetooptical disk can be used.

Various applications of recording of audio information in the abovemanner can be expected. For example, as general applications, thefollowing media can be expected: teaching materials for foreignlanguages, musical scores, various texts for correspondence courses,article specifications, repair manuals, language dictionaries,encyclopedias, books and magazines such as picture books, catalogs ofmerchandise, guide books for travelers, direct mails and invitationcards, newspapers, magazines, leaflets, albums, congratulatorytelegrams, postcards, and the like. As applications in businessoperations, the following media can be expected: fax (voice & fax)operation instructions, proceedings, electronic blackboards, OHPs,identifications (voice prints), name cards, telephone memos, labels,fine paper rolls as supplies (expendable supplies), and the like. Inthis case, as shown in FIG. 7A, an expendable supply is designed suchthat a double-coated adhesive tape, a label, or the like which peals offeasily is stuck on the lower surface of a roll of paper 30A, and the dotcodes 36 are recorded on the upper surface of the paper 30A. Only arequired portion of the paper 30A (to be referred to a reel sealhereinafter) can be cut and stuck on various things. Alternatively, asshown in FIG. 7B, the width of the paper 30A may be set to be large sothat the dot codes 36 may be recorded in rows. In addition, manualscanning markers 36B as guide lines for manual scanning of the detectionsection 44 may be printed vertically and laterally. These markers 36Bcan also be used as criteria for the recording positions of the dotcodes 36. That is, a sensor is arranged in a printer system 28 to readthe marker 36B so as to detect the start position of a print-outposition. With this operation, the dot code 36 can be printed within thearea enclosed with this manual scanning marker 36B without fail.Therefore, by performing a manual scanning operation along the manualscanning marker 36B, the recorded audio information can be reliablyreproduced. As is apparent, the manual scanning marker 36B may beprinted at the same time when the dot code 36 is printed.

Consider the recording time of audio information. In general 200-dpifacsimile, when, for example, data is recorded in an area of 1 in.×7 in.(2.54 cm×17.78 cm) along one side of a paper sheet, the total amount ofthe data is 280 kbits. When a portion (30%) corresponding to a marker,an address signal, an error correction code, and an error determinationcode (in this case, the error determination code is set for not only thex and y addresses 38D and 38E but also the audio data 38C) is subtractedfrom the above data, the amount of the remaining data is 196 kbits.Therefore, when speech data is compressed at 7 kbits/s (the bit rate inmobile communication), the recording time of the data is 28 sec. Whendata is to be recorded on the entire lower surface of an A4-sizetwo-side facsimile sheet, since an area of 7 in.×10 in. (17.78 cm×25.4cm) can be ensured, speech data of a duration of 4.7 mins can berecorded.

In 400-dpi G4 facsimile, according to the same calculation as describedabove, speech data of a duration of 18.8 mins can be recorded in an areaof 7 in.×10 in.

In 1,500-dpi high-quality printing, according to the same calculation asdescribed above, speech data of a duration of 52.3 sec can be recordedin an area of 5 mm×30 mm. In a tape-like area of 10 mm×75 mm, speechdata of 1 min can be recorded, according to calculation based on aspeech signal of high sound quality (30 kbits/s upon compression) whichallows recording of even music data.

FIG. 8 shows the arrangement of the second embodiment of the presentinvention. In the second embodiment, an x-y addressing image pickupsection such as a CMD capable of memory and random access are used. Thesecond embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in thedetection section 44 and the scan conversion/lens distortion correctionsection 46 of the reproducing apparatus. More specifically, in adetection section/scan conversion section 70, image pickup data storedin an x-y addressing image pickup section 70A is subjected to markerdetection in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In reading outthe data, four data around an interpolation position are sequentiallyread out by an address generation section 70B and x and v decoders 70Cand 70D, and input to an interpolation section 72. In the interpolationsection 72, coefficients are sequentially read out from a coefficientgeneration circuit 70E and multiplied to the input data by a multiplier70F. The products are accumulated/added by an analogaccumulating/addition circuit constituted by an adder 70G, a sample andhold circuit 70H, and a switch 70I. The resultant data is thensampled/held by a sample and hold circuit 70J, and a dot code havingundergone scan conversion is supplied to the binarization circuit 48,the threshold value determination circuit 50, and the PLL circuit 52described above.

With this arrangement, the same function as that of the first embodimentcan be realized, and the frame memory 46 can be omitted, therebyrealizing a reduction in the cost and size of the apparatus. Inaddition, if the x-y addressing image pickup section 70A, the addressgeneration section 70B, the decoders 70C and 70D, and the interpolationsection 72 are formed on one substrate to be integrated into an IC, afurther reduction in size can be realized.

FIG. 9 shows the arrangement of the third embodiment of the presentinvention. In this embodiment, a dot code 36 is recorded on a papersheet 30, on which pictures and characters are printed, by using atransparent paint (ink) 74 which easily causes specular reflection(total internal reflection). Polarizing filters 44F and 44G are arrangedbetween a light source 44A and an image forming system 44B in adetection section 44. The polarizing surfaces of the polarizing filters44F and 44G are adjusted such that reflected light from the inside (theupper surface of the paper sheet 30) and reflected light from holes 74Aformed in the transparent paint 74 according to a code are polarized invarious directions and cut by the polarizing filter 44G by 1/2 the totalamount of light. In addition, since the different in light amountbetween normal reflected light and totally reflected light is large, thecontrast of the dot code recorded with the transparent paint 74 isemphasized and imaged.

Furthermore, the surface of the paper sheet 30 may be subjected tosurface treatment such as mirror finishing to allow easy specularreflection, and the transparent paint 74 may consist of a materialhaving a higher refractive index than the surface having undergone theabove surface treatment and a film thickness corresponding to about λ/4(corresponding to an optical path length of 1/4 in the transparent paintin consideration of a change in optical path length because of anincident angle). With this arrangement, owing to the effect of thereflection amplifying coat, light which is obliquely incident on thesurface of the paper sheet 30 is further amplified and reflected(specular reflection) more easily.

In this case, for example, a dot code is formed by fine chemical etchingor the like, and hole portions corresponding to dots are roughened toreduce their reflectances.

If the dot code 36 is recorded in the transparent paint 74 in thismanner, dot codes can be recorded even on pictures and characters. When,therefore, dot codes are to be recorded together with characters andpictures, the recording capacity can be increased as compared with thefirst embodiment.

Instead of the transparent paint, a transparent fluorescent paint may beused. Alternatively, dot codes may be recorded in color to realizemultiplex recording. In recording dot codes in color, a general colorink or a color ink obtained by mixing a coloring material with atransparent ink may be used.

In this case, for example, an ink consisting of a volatile liquid and abinder (e.g., phenolic resin varnish, linseed oil varnish, or alkydresin) can be used as a transparent ink, and a coloring material can beused as a pigment.

A portable voice recorder to which an audio information recordingapparatus is applied will be described next. FIGS. 10A and 10B show anouter appearance of the portable voice recorder. This portable voicerecorder is constituted by a main body 76 and a speech input section 80which is detachably mounted on the main body 76 through main body-sideand speech input section-side detachable members (a surface fastener, amagic tape, and the like) 78A and 78B. A recording start button 82 and adischarging section 84 for printed sheets are arranged on surfaces ofthe main body 76. Note that the main body 76 and the speech inputsection 80 are connected to each other via a cable 86. As a matter ofcourse, signals may be transmitted from the speech input section 80 tothe main body 76 by radio or infrared radiation.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of this portablevoice recorder. Speech input through a microphone 88 is amplified by apreamplifier 90 and converted into digital data by an A/D converter 92.The data is then supplied to a compression processing section (ADPCM)94. An error correction code is added by an error correction codeaddition section 96 to the data having undergone compression processing.The resultant data is supplied to an interleave section 98, and therespective data are stored. Thereafter, interleave processing isperformed. In addition, addresses of blocks and address errordetermination codes (CRC or the like) are added by an address dataaddition section 100 to the data interleaved in this manner. Theresultant data is input to a modulation circuit 102. The modulationcircuit 102 performs, for example, 8-10 modulation, i.e., conversionfrom 8-bit data into 10-bit data, thus converting the data into datahaving a different bit count. After this operation, a marker additionsection 104 generates markers by using a data string different from 256data strings correlated in the modulation circuit 102, and adds themarkers to the data.

The data to which the markers are added in this manner is supplied to asimple printer system 106. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, areel seal 108 is printed and discharged from the printed sheetdischarging section 84. In this case, the simple printer system 106prints date/time data obtained by a timer 110 on the reel seal 108.

Note that each component described above is controlled by a controlsection 112 in accordance with the operation of the recording startbutton 82. Of the above components, the microphone 88 and othercomponents to be arranged in the speech input section 80 are notspecifically limited. In this case, for example, the microphone 88, thepreamplifier 90, and the A/D converter 92 are incorporated in the speechinput section 80.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing the operation of the portable voicerecorder having the above arrangement. When the recording start button82 arranged on the main body 76 is depressed (step S12), processing fromspeech input to printing of a dot code 114 on the reel seal 108 isperformed (step S16) while the recording start button 82 is depressed(step S14). When the recording start button 82 is released, it isdecided whether the recording start button 82 is depressed again withina predetermined period of time (step S18). If it is decided that therecording start button 82 is depressed again, the flow returns to stepS14 to repeat the above processing. If it is determined that therecording start button 82 is not depressed within the predeterminedperiod of time, the current data and time are referred to through thetimer 110 (step S20), and the referred date and time are printed while amargin portion 116 of the reel seal 108 is fed.

In this portable voice recorder, as shown in FIG. 10A, while the mainbody 76 is connected to the speech input section 80, the user holds themain body 76 with his/her hand and records speech, as the dot code 114,on the reel seal 108 with the speech input section 80 being brought nearto his/her mouth. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10B, the main body 76and the speech input section 80 are separated from each other, and thespeech input section 80 is attached to the receiver side of the handsetof a telephone set by using the detachable member 78B. With thisarrangement, the user can directly record speech from a person on theother end of a telephone line, as the dot code 114, on the reel seal 108instead of writing the contents of the speech on a memo. In this case,as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the name of the receiver or a commentindicating an addressee or the like can be written, in addition todate/time data printed on the reel seal 108, because the margin portion116 is formed.

As the speech input section 80, various forms can be considered, as wellas the above arrangement allowing the speech input section 80 to bedetachably mounted on the main body via the detachable members. Forexample, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, an earphone type may be used. Ifsuch an earphone type speech input section 80 is employed, the speechinput section 80 is pulled out from a speech input section housingsection 118 of the main body 76 and inserted in an ear of the user. Withthis arrangement, the user can record speech from a person on the otherend of a telephone line while listening to the speech through thereceiver side of the handset of the telephone.

In the above description, dot code printing is performed only while therecording start button 82 is depressed. However, a recording end buttonmay be arranged on the main body 76 so that dot code printing may beperformed in the interval between the instant at which the recordingstart button 82 is depressed once and the instant at which the recordingend button is depressed.

A reproducing function like the one shown in FIG. 3 may be incorporatedin the recording apparatus to form a recording/reproducing apparatus. Inthis case, the earphone type speech input section 80 may have thefunction of an earphone.

In the above embodiment, audio information such as speech and musicinformation is presented as information to be recorded. However, anembodiment designed to handle so-called multimedia information includingnot only audio information but also video information obtained by acamera, a video tape recorder, and the like and digital code dataobtained from a personal computer, a wordprocessor, and the like will bedescribed below.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a multimediainformation recording apparatus for recording such multimediainformation.

Of multimedia information, audio information is input through amicrophone or audio output device 120 and amplified by a preamplifier122, and the amplified information is converted into digital data by anA/D converter 124 and supplied to a compression processing section 126,as in the case shown in FIG. 1.

In the compression processing section 126, the input digital audiosignal is selectively supplied to a speech compressing circuit 130 suchas an ADPCM circuit and a speech synthesis/coding circuit 132 by aswitch 128. The speech compressing circuit 130 performs adaptive typedifferential PCM of the input digital audio information to perform datacompression. The speech synthesis/coding circuit 132 recognizes onespeech input from the input digital audio information and converts itinto a code. With this operation, the digital audio information istemporarily converted into a different synthetic code to relativelyreduce the data amount, as against a case wherein the above ADPCMcircuit codes the audio information in the form of speech information toreduce the data amount, i.e., processes the audio information as rawinformation. For example, the switch 128 is manually operated by theuser in accordance with a purpose. Alternatively, for example,information may be categorized in advance such that information withhigh sound quality such as information from the audio output device issupplied to the speech compressing circuit 130, and voices and commentsfrom the microphone are supplied to the speech synthesis/coding circuit132. With this arrangement, input audio information can be automaticallyswitched after the information is recognized as information belonging toa specific category.

Various data input through a personal computer, a wordprocessor, a CAD,an electronic notebook, communication, and the like, which have alreadybeen formed as digital code data, are input to a data form determinationcircuit 136 first via an interface (to be referred to as an I/Fhereinafter) 134. The data form determination circuit 136 basicallyserves to determine whether data compression can be performed by thecompression processing section 126 on the subsequent stage. Informationwhich has already undergone some compression processing and from whichno effect can be expected in the compression processing section 126 onthe subsequent stage is made to bypass the compression processingsection 126 to be directly supplied to the subsequent stage of thecompression processing section 126. If input data is non-compresseddata, the data is supplied to the compression processing section 126.

Data which is determined as no-compressed code data by the data formdetermination circuit 136 is input to the compression processing section126, in which compression processing of optimally compressing the codedata is performed by a compressing circuit 138 using Huffman codes,arithmetic codes, Lempel-Ziv (LZ) codes, or the like. Note that thecompressing circuit 138 also performs compression processing of anoutput from the above speech synthesis/coding circuit 132.

Note that the speech synthesis/coding circuit 132 may recognizecharacter information, as well as speech information, and convert itinto a speech synthetic code.

Image information from a camera or video output device 140 is suppliedto the compression processing section 126 after being amplified by apreamplifier 142 and A/D-converted by an A/D converter 144.

In the compression processing section 126, an image areadetermination/separation circuit 146 determines whether input imageinformation is a binary image such as a handwritten character or a graphor a multi-value image such as a natural image. This image areadetermination/separation circuit 146 separates binary image data frommulti-value image data by using a determined image area separationtechnique using a neural network as disclosed in Japanese PatentApplication No. 5-163635 filed by the present applicant. Binary imagedata is compressed by a binary compression processing circuit 148 suchas a general MR/MH/MMR according to JBIG or the like as binarycompression. Multi-value image data is compressed by a multi-valuecompression processing circuit 150 using a still image compressingfunction such as DPCM or JPEG.

The data which have undergone compression processing in the above mannerare synthesized by a data synthesis processing section 152 as needed.

Note that all the respective information input and compressionprocessing systems need not be arranged in parallel, but one or acombination of a plurality of systems may be arranged as needed.Therefore, the data synthesis processing section 152 is not alwaysrequired. If only one data system is present, this section may beomitted so that data can be directly input to an error correction codeaddition section 154 on the subsequent stage.

The error correction code addition section 154 adds an error correctioncode to the data and inputs the resultant data to a data memory section156. In the data memory section 156, the respective data are stored, andundergo interleave processing afterward. In this operation, a continuousdata string is dispersed to positions properly separated from each otherto improve the correction performance by minimizing errors, e.g., blockerrors caused by noise and the like, when input data is actuallyrecorded as dot codes, and the dot codes are reproduced. That is, thepossibility of an error is reduced from that of a burst error to that ofa bit error.

Furthermore, an address data addition section 158 adds addresses ofblocks and address error determination code (CRC or the like) to thedata interleaved in this manner, and inputs the resultant data to amodulation circuit 160. For example, the modulation circuit 160 performs8-10 modulation.

In the above embodiment, as is apparent, codes for error correction maybe added to data after interleave processing.

After this operation, a marker addition section 162 generates markersusing a data string different from 256 data strings correlated in themodulation circuit 160, and adds the markers to the data. Addition ofmarkers after modulation prevents the markers from being modulated andrendered difficult to be recognized as markers.

The data to which the markers are added in this manner is sent to asynthesis/edit processing section 164 and recorded on a recording papersheet other than the created data. For example, the data is synthesizedwith an image, a title, characters, or the like, or subjected to editprocessing such as layout processing. Alternatively, the data isconverted into a form to be output to a printer or a data formatsuitable for a printing plate and is supplied to a printer system or aprinting plate making system 166 on the next stage. Finally, in theprinter system or the printing plate making system, the data is printedon a sheet, a tape, printed matter, or the like.

Note that edit processing in the synthesis/edit processing section 164includes edit operations such as layout processing of information on apaper sheet and dot codes, matching of the dot size of codes with theresolving power of a printing machine, a printer, or the like, anddelimiting a code length in units of words, in accordance with contents,or the like, to perform a line feed operation, i.e., a line feedoperation of feeding a given line to the next line.

The printed matter obtained in this manner is transmitted by, e.g., aFAX 168. As a matter of course, data created by the synthesis/editprocessing section may be directly transmitted in facsimile instead ofbeing printed.

The concept of a dot code 170 in this embodiment will be described belowwith reference to FIG. 16. According to the data format of the dot code170 in the embodiment, one block 172 is constituted by a marker 174, ablock address 176, address error detection/error correction data 178,and a data area 180 in which actual data is set. That is, in thisembodiment, one block is developed two-dimensionally unlike theembodiment described with reference to FIG. 2A, in which one block isarranged one-dimensionally in the line direction. Such blocks 172 aretwo-dimensionally arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions toform the dot code 170 as a whole.

The arrangement of a reproducing apparatus for multimedia informationwill be described next with reference to FIG. 17. This informationreproducing apparatus comprises a detection section 184 for reading adot code from a sheet 182 on which the dot code 170 is printed, a scanconversion section 186 for recognizing image data supplied from thedetection section 184 as a dot code and normalizing it, a binarizationprocessing section 188 for converting multi-value data into binary data,a demodulating section 190, an adjusting section 192 for adjusting adata string, a data error correction section 194 for correcting a readerror in a reproducing operation and a data error, a data separationsection 196 for separating data in accordance with their attributes, andecompression processing section for performing processing against datacompression processing in accordance with the attributes of data, and adisplay section, a reproducing section, or another input device.

In the detection section 184, the dot code 170 on the sheet 182 isilluminated with a light source 198; reflected light is detected as animage signal by an image pickup section 204 such as a CCD or a CMD,designed to convert optical information into an electrical signal, viaan image formation optical system 200 such as a lens and a spatialfilter 202 for removing moire and the like; and the image signal isamplified by a preamplifier 206 to be output. The light source 198, theimage formation optical system 200, the spatial filter 202, the imagepickup section 204, and the preamplifier 206 are arranged in an externallight shielding section 208 for preventing disturbance caused byexternal light. The image signal amplified by the preamplifier 206 isconverted into digital information by an A/D conversion section 210 andsupplied to the scan conversion section 186 on the next stage.

Note that the image pickup section 204 is controlled by an image pickupsection control section 212. Assume that a CCD of an interline transferscheme is to be used as the image pickup section 204. In this case, theimage pickup section control section 212 outputs the following controlsignals to the image pickup section 204: a vertical blanking signal forvertical synchronization; an image pickup element reset pulse forresetting information charges; a charge transfer gate pulse signal fortransferring charges stored in a two-dimensionally arrayed chargetransfer/storage section to a plurality of vertical shift registers; ahorizontal charge transfer CLK signal as a transfer clock signal for ahorizontal shift register for transferring charges in the horizontaldirection and externally outputting them; a vertical charge transferpulse signal for transferring the charges from the vertical shiftregisters in the vertical direction and supplying them to the horizontalshift register, and the like. FIG. 18 shows the timings of thesesignals.

The image pickup section control section 212 supplies an emission cellcontrol pulse to the light source 198 to adjust the emission timing ofthe light source 198 in accordance with the above timings.

The timing chart in FIG. 18 basically corresponds to one field. Imagedata is read out in the time interval between one blanking timing andthe other blanking timing of one field. Instead of continuously lightingthe light source 198, a pulse lighting operation is performed, andsubsequent pulse lighting operations are performed while synchronizationis established in units of fields. In this case, the exposure timing iscontrolled to perform exposure during a vertical blanking period, i.e.,a period during which no image charges are output, in order to preventclock noise caused by a pulse lighting operation from mixing with asignal output. That is, an emission cell control pulse is a very finedigital clock pulse which is generated instantaneously and serves tosupply large power to the light source. For this reason, some measuremust be taken to prevent noise from mixing with an analog image signal.For this reason, pulse lighting of the light source is performed duringa vertical blanking period. With this operation, the S/N ratio can beincreased. In addition, to perform pulse lighting is to shorten theemission time. Therefore, the influences of a shake caused by a manualoperation and blurring caused by movement of the apparatus can beeliminated. This allows a high-speed scanning operation.

In addition, assume that the reproducing apparatus tilts, anddisturbance such as external light enters in spite of the external lightshielding section 208. Even in this case, in order to minimize adecrease in S/N ratio, an image pickup element reset pulse is output toreset an image signal once before the light source 198 is caused to emitlight during a vertical blanking period, and emission of light isperformed immediately after resetting of this image signal. A data readoperation is performed immediately after this operation.

The scan conversion section 186 will be described below with referenceto FIG. 17. The scan conversion section 186 is a section for recognizingimage data supplied from the detection section 184 as a dot code, andnormalizing it. As a technique for this operation, the image data fromthe detection section 184 is stored in an image memory 214, read outtherefrom temporarily, and supplied to a marker detection section 216.The marker detection section 216 detects a marker of each block. A dataarray direction detection section 218 detects the rotation orinclination and the array direction of the data by using the markers. Anaddress control section 220 reads out image data from the image memory214 and supplies the data to an interpolation circuit 222 so as tocorrect it in accordance with the detection result. At this time, lensaberration information is read out from a memory 224 for correcting thedistortion of the aberration of the lens of the image formation opticalsystem 200 of the detection section 184, thereby performing lenscorrection as well. The interpolation circuit 222 performs interpolationprocessing of the image data to convert it into an original pattern,i.e., a dot code.

An output from the interpolation circuit 222 is supplied to thebinarization processing section 188. As is apparent from FIG. 16 aswell, the dot code 170 is basically a black and white pattern, i.e.,binary information. Therefore, the data is converted into binary data bythe binarization processing section 188. At this time, binarization isadaptively performed while threshold value determination is performed bya threshold value determination circuit 226 in consideration of theinfluences of disturbance, signal amplitude, and the like.

Since modulation like the one described with reference to FIG. 15 hasbeen performed, the demodulating section 190 demodulates the data, andinputs the resultant data to the data string adjusting section 192.

In the data string adjusting section 192, the block addresses of theabove two-dimensional blocks are detected by a block address detectionsection 228 first, and error detection and correction of the blockaddresses are then performed by a block address errordetection/correction section 230. Thereafter, an address control section232 stores the resultant data in a data memory section 234 in units ofblocks. By storing the data in units of block addresses in this manner,the data can be efficiently stored even if an intermediate data portionis omitted or data is inserted in the process of storing the data.

After this operation, error correction of the data read out from thedata memory section 234 is performed by the data error correctionsection 194. An output from the data error correction section 194 isbranched to two ways. One output is supplied, as digital data, to apersonal computer, a wordprocessor, an electronic notebook, or the like.The other output is supplied to the data separation section 196 to beseparated into image data, handwritten character or graph data,character or line drawing data, and sound data (including two types,i.e., sound data without any processing and data having undergone speechsynthesis).

Image data corresponds to natural image data, which is multi-value imagedata. An decompression processing section 238 performs decompressionprocessing of this data, which corresponds to JPEG in data compression.In a data interpolation circuit 240, data for which error correctioncannot be performed is interpolated.

For binary image information as of a handwritten character or a graph,an decompression processing section 242 performs decompressionprocessing corresponding to MR/MH/MMR in data compression. In a datainterpolation circuit 244, data for which error correction cannot beperformed is interpolated.

Character or line drawing data is converted into a different pattern fordisplay by a PDL (Page-Description Language) processing section 246.Note that even line drawing or character information which has beencoded and undergone compression processing for a code is subjected tocorresponding decompression (Huffman coding, Lempel-Ziv coding, or thelike) processing in an decompression processing section 248, and issupplied to the PDL processing section 246.

Outputs from the data interpolation circuits 240 and 244 and the PDLprocessing section 246 are synthesized or selected by asynthesizing/switching circuit 250. The resultant data is converted intoan analog signal by a D/A conversion section 252. Thereafter, thecorresponding information is displayed on a display section 254 such asa CRT (TV monitor) or an FMD (face mounted display). Note that the FMDis a glasses-type monitor (handy monitor) to be mounted on the face ofthe user, and can be effectively used for, e.g., a virtual realityoperation or looking at an image on a large frame in a narrow place.

Speech information is subjected to decompression processing in andecompression processing section 256, which corresponds to ADPCM.Furthermore, in a data interpolation circuit 258, data for which errorcorrection cannot be performed is interpolated. In performing speechsynthesis, a speech synthesis section 260 receives a code for speechsynthesis, actually synthesizes speech from the code, and outputs it. Inthis case, if the code itself is compressed, speech synthesis isperformed after decompression processing such as Huffman coding orLempel-Ziv coding processing is performed in an decompression processingsection 262, as in the case of the above character or line drawinginformation.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 19, character information may be output,as speech information, from the speech synthesis section 260 aftersentence recognition is performed by a sentence recognition section 271.

The decompression processing section 262 may also serve as thedecompression processing section 248. In this case, data is properlyswitched by switches SW1, SW2, and SW3 in accordance with the attributeof the data subjected to decompression processing so as to be input tothe PDL processing section 246 or the speech synthesis section 260.

Outputs from the data interpolation circuit 258 and the speech synthesissection 260 are synthesized or selected by a synthesizing/switchingcircuit 264. The resultant data is then converted into an analog signalby a D/A conversion section 266. The signal is output to a loudspeaker,a headphone or a speech output device 268 equivalent thereto.

Character or line drawing information is directly output from the dataseparation section 196 to a page printer or plotter 270. As a result,the character information can be printed, as wordprocessor characters,on a paper sheet, or the line drawing information can be output, as adrawing, from a plotter.

As is apparent, image information can also be printed by a video printeras well as being displayed on a CRT or an FMD, or the image can bephotographed.

The data string adjusting section 192 will be described next. In thiscase, in order to apply this embodiment to the audio informationreproducing apparatus (see FIG. 3) described above, it is assumed thatblocks, in each of which a block address 272A and an error correctiondata 272B, each denoted by reference numeral 272, are arranged on thefirst line, are two-dimensionally arrayed, as shown in FIG. 20A, whilelinear markers 274 shown in FIG. 20B are arranged in the verticaldirection, and a line address 276A and an error detection data 276B,each denoted by reference numeral 276, are arranged for each line ofeach block.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 20C, the pitch is reduced twice foreach line as compared with the scanning method described with referenceto FIG. 6. After the center of each marker is detected, a portionbetween the central lines of the respective adjacent markers are dividedinto equal portions equal to the number twice the number of dots. Thatis, as shown in FIG. 20D, in the first scanning operation, 1/2 the dataof dots 278 are read in the vertical and horizontal directions, i.e., atotal of 1/4 the data is read. In this case, the scanning pitch is equalto the pitch of the dots 278. Therefore, data is read for every otherdot. In this manner, data is read up to the CRC error detection data276B. If, for example, one block consists of 64 dots, 64 dots are readfor every other dot.

Whether a line address is actually read is checked by using the lineaddress 276A located at a rear portion and the CRC error detection data276B for the corresponding line address. If this line address isproperly read, it is determined that the data dots themselves before theline address are properly read. If it is determined that the lineaddress is not properly read, the scanning position is shifted by onedot, for example, to the right, and the second scanning operation isperformed (indicated by the black circles in FIG. 20D). After data isread up to the 64 dots, it is checked in the same manner as describedabove whether a line address is actually read. If it is determined thata line address is not properly read, the scanning position at the firstdot is shifted by one dot downward, and the third scanning operation isperformed. If it is also determined after this operation that a lineaddress is not properly read, the scanning position is shifted by onedot to the right, and the fourth scanning operation is performed.

If scanning of one line is repeated four times in this manner, it isexpected that a line address can be properly read at least once. If itis determined that a line address is properly read, the data is writtenin the data memory section 234.

In this case, the line address of the read line is "0" (start address),i.e., it is determined that the line is the first line, the precedingdata is determined as the block address 272A and the error correctiondata 272B. Note that a block address error detection code, e.g., a CRC,may be added to the error correction data 272B, or an error correctioncode may also be added thereto depending on a purpose, thereby using theerror correction data 272B as an error correction code for a blockaddress as a Reed-Solomon code. When the first address line "0" isrecognized, the block address 272A is read first, and the ordinal numberof the corresponding block is determined from this address data. Fromthe subsequent lines, actual data appear. Therefore, these data are readand written in blocks, of the data memory section 234, corresponding tothe read blocks.

In the above description, if the absence of an error is determined whileone line is scanned, the next line is scanned. However, scanning may berepeated four times per line. In this case, the absence of an error isdetermined a plurality of number of times. However, no problem is posedbecause the same data is written at the same address. When theprocessing is to be simplified, scanning is repeated four times. Inaddition, when priority is to be given to speed, the former scanningmethod is employed.

The actual arrangements of the block address detection section 228 andthe block address error detection/correction section 230 for realizingthe operation of the above adjusting section 192 will be described withreference to FIG. 21.

Upon receiving 10 bits of binary interpolated data on a shift register190A, the demodulating section 190 converts the data into 8-bit data byusing a look-up table (LUT) 190B.

In the data string adjusting section 192, this demodulated data istemporarily stored in a buffer memory (all data corresponding to 64 dotsare input) 282 under the control of a write address control section 280.Of the stored data, only line address information and CRC informationfor an address are read out by a data read address control section 284,and error detection is performed by a line address error detectioncircuit 286. If a determination signal representing this error detectionresult becomes true, i.e., the absence of an error is determined, thedata read address control section 284 reads out information before theline address information, i.e., actual data information, from the buffermemory 282.

Meanwhile, a start address detection circuit 288 checks whether the lineaddress which has undergone error detection in the line address errordetection circuit 286 is a start address. If a start address isdetected, the start address detection circuit 288 informs a blockaddress detection circuit 290 that the corresponding line is a linehaving a block address. In response to this information, the blockaddress detection circuit 290 detects a block address from the data readout from the buffer memory 282. An error detection circuit 292 thenperforms error detection and correction. The resultant data is latched,as a block address, in the address control section 232 for the datamemory section 234.

Note that only error detection is added to a line address to obtain anaccurate read position. However, an error correction code is added to ablock address because it is used as address information.

Since the subsequent lines are sequential data lines, read data arewritten, as data, in the data memory section 234. At this time, lineaddresses are output together depending on processing, as needed. If acounter is incorporated in this arrangement, a method of automaticallycounting up line addresses in the arrangement may be employed.

The next block is recognized when the next start address "0" isdetected, and the same operation as described above is repeatedlyperformed with respect to all blocks.

A determination signal output from the line address error detectioncircuit 286 is supplied to the address control section 220 for the imagememory 214. This signal is required to shift the scanning position tothe next line, when data becomes true, so as to shorten the time inperforming a scanning operation four times per line.

In the above case, the line address error detection circuit 286 performsaddress detection with respect to interpolated data by using the sameaddress information for four scanning operations until the data becomestrue. When the data becomes true, an address corresponding to a dataline of dots next to a new line is temporarily set to form interpolateddata. Thereafter, the data is read out for every four points at a time.In order to perform such control, a determination signal is supplied tothe address control section 220 for the image memory 214. With thisoperation, the same address is generated four times to performinterpolation, or a read operation is performed while the order ofinterpolation is changed. Alternatively, the address is rewritten to anaddress corresponding to the next line, and data on the correspondingline is read out and interpolated to be read out four times.

Although not shown, the address control section 232 for the data memorysection 234 performs mapping in the data memory section 234. Inaddition, in a read operation, the address control section 232 performscontrol for de-interleave processing. This operation is also performedby using a look-up table and the like. When, for example, addresses aregenerated in units of dots, the corresponding data is converted into amemory data string actually output from a look-up table by using a ROMor the like on the basis of data obtained by combining the correspondingblock, line, and dot address. This operation is de-interleave processing(de-shuffling). Only when this processing is performed, data is read outas a data string. As a matter of course, this de-interleave processingmay be performed while data is read out from the data memory section234. Alternatively, in a write operation, after such conversion may betemporarily performed to disperse the data in such an order, the data issequentially written (mapped).

In this case, each marker 274 has a linear shape. However, each markermay have a circular or rectangular shape, as shown in FIG. 16. Once amarker is detected, a read operation is performed along the lines in theblock. Therefore, a marker need not be linear. For example, as shown inFIGS. 22A to 22C, circular, square, and rectangular markers 294, 296,and 298 are conceivable.

If a printed code is free from partial blur and an offset and almostaccurate, since (approximate center=accurate center), accurate centerdetection (to be described later) may be omitted, and marker detectionmay be performed by only approximate center detection processing (to bedescribed later). In this case, however, in order to detect an arraydirection, dots 294A, 296A, and 298A for array direction detection arearranged near the marker portions, respectively.

FIG. 23 shows another form of the multimedia information reproducingapparatus. In this apparatus, the A/D conversion section 210 in thedetection section 184 is moved to the scan conversion section 186, andthe functions of the block address detection section 228 and the blockaddress error detection/correction section 230 in the data stringadjusting section 192 are realized in the scan conversion section 186.Since the arrangements of the data error correction section 194 and thesubsequent components are the same as those in FIG. 17, a descriptionthereof will be omitted.

That is, the greatest difference between the arrangement shown in FIG.23 and that shown in FIG. 17 is in the scan conversion section 186 andthe data string adjusting section 192. In this embodiment, the functionof the data string adjusting section 192 is realized by simultaneouslyperforming the operations of components, in the scan conversion section186, ranging from the marker detection section 216 to the addresscontrol section 220. That is, a marker is detected by the markerdetection section 216, and a data array direction, i.e., an inclination,a rotation, and a direction, is detected by the data array directiondetection section 218. In a block address detection/errordetermination/accurate center detection section 300, a block address isdetected, error detection therefor is performed, and a correct center,i.e., a true center, is detected depending on whether the block addressis wrong. In this case, the block address is detected in detecting thetrue center. For this reason, after the marker and the block address areinterpolated by a marker/block address interpolation section 302, theinformation on the block address is also supplied to the address controlsection 232 for the data memory section 234.

As in the arrangement shown in FIG. 17, address control is performed bythe address control section 220 on the basis of the data obtainedinterpolating the block address, thereby performing address, write, andoutput control with respect to the image memory 214.

Other arrangements are functionally the same as those shown in FIG. 17.

Referring to FIGS. 17 and 23, in the detection section 184, data isconverted into, e.g., 8-bit multi-value digital data by the A/Dconversion section 210, and processing is performed afterward. However,the binarization processing section (comparator) 188 and the thresholdvalue determination circuit 226 may be arranged in place of the A/Dconversion section 210 to perform all the subsequent processing by usingbinary data.

In this case, the interpolation circuit 222 can use pixel data nearest(adjacent) to an interpolated address coordinates as data instead ofperforming so-called interpolation processing for interpolation of 4 or16 points by using pixel data around the interpolated addresscoordinates obtained by the address control section 220, as shown inFIG. 5.

By performing processing upon binarization instead of A/D conversion,the number of signal lines and the data amount are reduced to 1/8 ascompared with the case of, e.g., eight bits. Therefore, the memorycapacity is reduced to 1/8, the circuit size, the processing amount canbe greatly reduced, and the processing time can be greatly shortened.This contributes to a reduction in the size and cost of the apparatus,and the processing speed can be increased.

In the cases shown in FIGS. 17 and 23, an address output from theaddress control section 220 becomes pixel addresses of four pointsaround an interpolated address coordinates when image data is output tothe interpolation circuit 222, and becomes distance information withrespect to the interpolation circuit 222 which is used to calculate aweighting coefficient for each pixel address through a signal line (notshown). Alternatively, each pixel address and interpolated addresscoordinate data may be sent to the interpolation circuit 222 to obtainthe distance to each pixel address so as to obtain a weightingcoefficient.

When processing using binary data is performed in the above manner, theaddress control section 220 outputs a pixel address near theinterpolated address coordinates. In this case, therefore, the dataoutput from the image memory 214 is input to the demodulating section190.

A practical example of the dot code shown in FIG. 16 will be describedbelow with reference to FIGS. 24A to 24D.

As is apparent from FIG. 16 as well, blocks 304 are two-dimensionallyarranged, and block addresses 306 are respectively added to the blocks304. An address corresponding to X and Y addresses is added to eachblock address 306. Assume, for example, that the block address of theblock at the upper leftmost position in FIG. 24A is represented by (Xaddress,Y address)=(1,1). The block address of the block located on theright side of the above block is (2,1). Similarly, the block addresses306 are respectively added to all the blocks 304 with the X addressbeing incremented rightward and the Y address being incrementeddownward.

Assume that the lowermost and rightmost markers are dummy markers 308.That is, the block 304 corresponding to a given marker 310 is lowerright data enclosed with four markers 310 including the given marker,and the lowermost and rightmost markers are auxiliary markers, i.e., thedummy markers 308, arranged to define blocks corresponding to the secondmarkers from the bottom and rightmost side.

The contents of the block 304 will be described next. As shown in FIG.24B, the block address 306 and an error detection code 312 are added tothe marker 310 of the block 304 at a position between the marker 310 andthe marker located therebelow. Similarly, the block address 306 and theerror detection code 312 are added to the marker 310 at a positionbetween the marker 310 and the marker located on the right side thereof.Referring to FIG. 16, a marker is located at an upper left position in ablock, and a block address is located at a lower right position in theblock. In this embodiment, the block addresses 306 are located on theleft and upper sides of a block, and the marker 310 is located at theupper left corner of the block. Although the block addresses 306 arerecorded at two positions in one block in this case, these addresses maybe recorded at one position. However, block addresses are preferablyrecorded at two positions because even if an error is caused by noise inone block address, an address can be reliably detected by detecting theother address.

The positions of block data relative to markers, the position of thecorresponding block addresses, the positions of dummy markers on codeswhich are determined by the positions of the block addresses, and thelike are not limited to those described above.

A pattern of the marker 310 will be described next. As shown in FIG.24C, in this embodiment, a pattern 310A of a black circle having adiameter corresponding to seven dots is used as the marker 310. A whiteportion 310B is arranged around the black circle 310A to facilitatediscrimination of the black portion of the marker. Reference numeral310C in FIG. 24C denotes an auxiliary line used to explain the marker.

The range of the white portion 310B is preferably minimized to increasethe recording density, but is preferably maximized to easily and quicklyperform marker detection processing. For this reason, the range 310C forallowing the pattern 310A to be sufficiently discriminated when therotational angle is 45° is set within the portion 310B.

The magnification of the image formation optical system 200 in FIGS. 17and 23 is set such that the size of a data dot 316 in a data area 314becomes a value corresponding to 1.5 pixels under the condition to bedescribed later. In this case, a pixel means one pixel of the imagepickup element of the image pickup section 204. That is, one dot, e.g.,a dot having a dot size of 30 to 40 μm, recorded on the sheet 182 isfocused into a dot having a dot size corresponding to 1.5 pixels, on theimage pickup element, each of which generally has a size of 7 or 10 μm,through an image formation system lens. According to the samplingtheorem, the pixel pitch may be set to be smaller than the dot pitch. Inthis case, for a reliable operation, the pixel pitch will be set to be1.5 pixels. Note that in the above case wherein binarization is employedinstead of A/D conversion, the pixel pitch is set to be two pixels forthe sake of a more reliable operation.

By employing the above two-dimensional block division scheme, thefollowing advantages can be obtained:

If the dot pitch of dots is below the resolution of an image pickupelement, a code (a set of unit data blocks) can be read even with achange in data dot size;

Even if the image pickup section 204 is inclined with respect to a code,the code can be read;

Even if a sheet locally decompresses/contracts, a reproducing operationcan be performed. Even if a sheet is rotated, a read operation can beperformed;

Unit blocks can be two-dimensionally arranged freely in accordance witha total data amount. As a result, the code size can be freely changed;

Since a block address is added to each block, a reproducing operationcan be performed even if a read operation is started from anintermediate portion of a code;

The shape of a code can be arbitrarily arranged in units of blocks inaccordance with, e.g., characters, pictures, and graphs. FIG. 24A showsa rectangular dot code. However, a dot code may have a hook-like shapeor slightly deformed; and

Neither a predetermined start code nor a predetermined stop code as in abar code is required, and no clock code is required.

Owing to these characteristic features, a reproducing operation can beperformed regardless of a shake of a hand of the user. Therefore, thepresent invention can be easily applied to a handy reproducingapparatus.

Although a detailed description is omitted, four adjacent markers aredetected on the reproducing apparatus side to divide the portion betweenthe markers into equal parts equal in number to the number of dots.Therefore, the apparatus is capable of effectively standing enlargement,reduction, deformation, and the like and is resistant to a shake of ahand of the user.

With regard to the data dot 316 in the data area 314, one dot has a sizeof several tens μm. This size can be reduced to a level of several μmdepending on an application or use. In general, however, the size is 40,20, or 80 μm. The data area 314 has a size of, e.g., 64×64 dots. Thesesizes can be increased or decreased within a range in which an error dueto the above equal division scheme can be absorbed. In addition, theabove marker 310 has not only the function of a sync signal but also thefunction of a position index. This marker has a size different from thatof modulated data. In this example, for example, the marker has acircular shape and a size of seven dots or more, each identical to a dotin the data area 314, or the circular black marker 310A having adiameter corresponding to about 7×7 dots is used.

An inclination, a rotation, and the like in a reproducing operation willbe described below.

The inclination of the image pickup section 204 indicates a statewherein the user holds the reproducing apparatus obliquely, which shouldbe held to be perpendicular to the sheet 182 on which a dot code isprinted, and the apparatus is held obliquely with respect to the sheet182. The rotation of the image pickup section 204 indicates a statewherein the imaging area (see FIG. 4A) is not parallel to the dot codewritten on the sheet 182.

When the above inclination occurs, an image obtained by the image pickupsection 204 is smaller in size than an image obtained when the imagepickup section 204 is perpendicular to the sheet. If, for example, theimage pickup section 204 is inclined at 30°, an apparent projected imageis reduced to 86.5%. That is, if, for example, the image pickup section204 is inclined at 30° in the horizontal direction with respect to thevertical direction when a block is square, a block image is 0.865 timesthat obtained without any inclination in the horizontal direction eventhough the size in the vertical direction remains the same. Theresultant block image is rectangular. With such an inclination, if theapparatus has a clock for internal synchronization, since the respectivecomponents are operated by equal-interval clocks, the resultant data maynot coincide with intrinsic data.

If a rotation is considered only in terms of horizontal and verticaldirections, true data is obliquely shifted upward or downward. As aresult, true information cannot be obtained. In addition, if a complexstate of inclination and rotation occurs, an image of a square blockbecomes a rhombus as an imaging result. Therefore, the condition thathorizontal and vertical data arrays are perpendicular cannot besatisfied.

The marker detection section 216 for solving these problems will bedescribed below. As shown in FIG. 25, the marker detection section 216is constituted by a marker determination section 318 for extracting amarker from a code and determining it, a marker area detection section320 for detecting an area in which the marker is present, and anapproximate center detection section 322 for detecting an approximatecenter of the marker.

The marker determination section 318 searches for 7 or more and 13 orless consecutive black pixels. If such consecutive black pixels continuefor seven lines, the marker determination section 318 recognizes thepixels as the circular black marker 310A. As shown in FIG. 26, first ofall, the marker determination section 318 binarizes image data read outfrom the image memory 214, and identifies each pixel as a black or whitepixel (step S32). The marker determination section 318 detectsconsecutive black pixels in the X-axis direction in the image memory 214(step S34). That is, the marker determination section 318 detects 7 ormore and 13 or less consecutive black pixels. The marker determinationsection 318 then checks whether a pixel shifted from the middle pixelbetween the first and last black pixels of the consecutive pixels in theY-axis direction by one pixel is a black pixel (step S36). If thiscontinues seven times in the Y-axis direction (step S38), the markerdetermination section 318 determines that the corresponding pixels arethe circular black marker 310A (step S40). If no consecutive blackpixels are detected in step S34 or it is determined in step S36 that thepixel is not a black pixel, the marker determination section 318 doesnot determine the corresponding pixels as a marker (step S42).

Assume that the marker determination section 318 checked markers in theimage memory and found a line having seven consecutive black pixels. Inthis case, the marker determination section 318 checks whether a pointshifted from the middle point between the first and last black pixels ofthe consecutive black pixels in the Y-axis direction by one pixel is ablack pixel. If it is a black pixel, the marker determination section318 checks whether 7 to 13 consecutive black pixels on the left andright side of the black pixel are black pixels. The marker determinationsection 318 performs a similar operation while shifting the point pixelby pixel in the Y-axis direction. If this operation is repeated seventimes in the Y-axis direction finally, the corresponding portion isdetermined as the circular black marker 310A.

Note that "7" as the minimum value for checking consecutive black pixelsin the X- and Y-axis directions is a value fordiscriminating/determining the black portion (circular black marker310A) of the marker 310 from modulated data. More specifically, thisvalue is the lower limit value set to discriminate the data area 314from the circular black marker 310A regardless of contraction orinclination of the paper sheet. "13" as the maximum value is the upperlimit value set in consideration of decompression of the paper sheet, anink blur, and the like. This value serves to prevent noise such as dustor a flaw larger than a marker from being erroneously detected as amarker.

In addition, since a marker pattern 30A is circular, no considerationneed be given to a rotation. Therefore, the difference between the lowerand upper limit values can be minimized, thereby reducing the frequencyof erroneous detection of markers.

The range of the circular black marker 310A determined by the markerdetermination section 318 is slightly decompressed/contracted ordeformed because of an inclination, a change in image magnification, andthe like. Therefore, the marker area detection section 320 serves todetect a specific area in which the black range is located.

As shown in FIG. 27, first of all, the marker area detection section 320detects a temporary central pixel of the circular black marker 310Adetermined by the marker determination section 318 (step S52). That is,one pixel near the center of the range determined by the markerdetermination section 318 is detected as a temporary central pixel.

The marker area detection section 320 checks the presence of a blackpixel upward (the minus direction on the Y axis) from the temporarycentral pixel. If a white pixel is detected, the marker area detectionsection 320 checks a few pixels on the left and right sides of the whitepixel. If a black pixel is detected, the marker area detection section320 checks pixels upward in the same manner as described above up to a Yaddress at which no black pixel is present. Then, if a black pixel isnot detected, the marker area detection section 320 sets the Y addressin a Ymin register (see FIG. 28A) (step S54). Similarly, the marker areadetection section 320 checks the presence of a black pixel downward (inthe plus direction on the Y axis) from the temporary central pixel. If awhite pixel is detected, the marker area detection section 320 checks afew pixels on the left and right sides of the white pixel. If a blackpixel is detected, the marker area detection section 320 checks pixelsdownward in the same manner as described above up to a Y address atwhich no black pixel is present. Then, if a black pixel is not detected,the marker area detection section 320 sets the Y address in a Ymaxregister (step S56).

Subsequently, the marker area detection section 320 checks the presenceof a black pixel leftward (in the minus direction on the X axis) fromthe temporary central pixel. If a white pixel is detected, the markerarea detection section 320 checks whether a few pixels on the upper andlower sides of the white pixel are black pixels. If they are blackpixels, the marker area detection section 320 checks pixels leftward inthe same manner as described above up to an X address at which no blackpixel is present. Then, if a black pixel is not detected, the markerarea detection section 320 sets the X address in an Xmin register (stepS58). Similarly, the marker area detection section 320 checks thepresence of a black pixel rightward (the plus direction on the X axis)from the temporary central pixel. If a white pixel is detected, themarker area detection section 320 checks a few pixels on the upper andlower sides of the white pixel. If a black pixel is detected, the markerarea detection section 320 checks pixels rightward in the same manner asdescribed above up to an X address at which no black pixel is present.Then, if a black pixel is not detected, the marker area detectionsection 320 sets the X address in an Xmax register (step S60).

A marker area 324 is selected by using the values of the Xmin, Xmax,Ymin, and Ymax registers which are obtained in the above manner, asindicated by the table shown in FIG. 28B (step S62). That is, instead ofthe square range including the circular black marker 310A, the hatchedarea in FIG. 28A, obtained by omitting the corner portions of the range,is selected as the marker area 324. The marker area 324 may berectangular. In practice, however, data is present around the whiteportion 310B of the marker 310. This data may be influenced by a spatialfilter, and information or the like of the black data portion may enterthe white portion 310B to enter the marker area 324 for calculating anapproximate center. In order to prevent this, it is preferable that themarker area 324 be a minimum necessary range. In this case, an areawhich has the same shape as that of the circular black marker 310A,i.e., a circular shape, and is larger than the circular black marker310A may be set. In this embodiment, however, since the circular blackmarker 310A is a small circle having a diameter corresponding to sevendots, the marker area 324 has a shape like the one shown in FIG. 28A.

The approximate center detection section 322 serves to find theapproximate center of a marker in a marker area detected by the markerarea detection section 320 in this manner. In printing or the like, adot is generally decompressed to have a size larger than an intendedsize (this phenomenon is called dot gain) because of decompression ofthe ink or contracted to have a size smaller than the intended size(this phenomenon is called dot reduction). In addition, the ink mayspread or soak in one side. As countermeasures against such dot gain,dot reduction, and soaking of an ink, the approximate center detectionsection 322 obtains the center, i.e., the center of gravity, of an imageof the circular black marker 310A, and sets it as an approximate center.In this case, this processing is performed to obtain the above centerwith a precision corresponding to a value smaller than one pixel pitch.

First of all, the marker area 324 on the image is divided into twoportions in the X- and Y-axis directions in the image memory 214, andthe central lines of the respective portions on the X and Y axes aredetected, thereby obtaining a final center, i.e., an approximate center.FIGS. 28C and 28D respectively show the cumulative values of therespective pixels in FIG. 28A in the vertical and horizontal directions.The center of gravity corresponds to a position of 1/2 the totalcumulative value, i.e., a portion where the vertical and horizontalcumulative values become equal to each other.

Referring to FIG. 28C, assume that a result Sxl obtained by adding therespective cumulative values of the hatched portion in FIG. 28C is lessthan 1/2 a total area S, and a value obtained by adding a next portionSxc to the result Sxl exceeds 1/2 the total area. In this case, it canbe determined that a central line X including an approximate center isincluded in the array Sxc. That is, with regard to the X address of theapproximate center, when a value obtained by accumulating the cumulativevalues of the respective arrays (Xk) from the left side (in the Xmindirection) to the (X'+1)th array exceeds 1/2 the total cumulative value,the approximate center is present between the X'th array and the(X'+1)th array. If the (X'+1)th array is divided into left and rightportions such that a value obtained by adding the left or right portionto the cumulative value of X' arrays becomes 1/2 the total area, thedivision line includes the approximate center.

The ratio of a portion obtained by subtracting the cumulative value ofthe X arrays from 1/2 the total area, i.e., (1/2)S-Sxl to the cumulativevalue Sxc of the middle array is represented by Δx (approximatecenter=X'+Δx).

This operation will be described below with reference to the flow chartin FIG. 29.

First of all, normalization is performed (step S72). More specifically,data in the image memory 214 is normalized as data having gradation ofmulti-value data by setting a white data portion to be "0", and blackdata, for example, "1", so as not to influence accumulation even ifperipheral portions are added with respect to the respective data of themarker area 324. Since the peripheral portions are blurred by a spatialfilter and the like, this operation is performed to accurately recognizesuch a state so as to accurately detect the center of gravity.Subsequently, a cumulative value Sk of each array Xk (K=min, min+1, . .. , max) is obtained (step S74), and a center-of-gravity calculationsubroutine is called (step S76).

In the center-of-gravity calculation subroutine, as shown in FIG. 30,the total area S is obtained, 1/2 the total area is represented by Sh,and Sl is set to be 0 (step S92). A value is set from the leftmostarray, i.e., i=min (step S94), and Sl'=Sl=Si is calculated (step S96).Since Sl=0 at first, Sl=Si, and Sl'=Smin. Subsequently, Sl' is comparedwith Sh, i.e., 1/2 the total area (step S98). If Sl' does not exceed Sh,i is incremented (step S100), and Sl' is set to Sl (step S102). Theprocessing is repeated from step S96 described above, therebyaccumulating the next array. When the accumulation result exceeds 1/2the total area, Sl is subtracted from S/2, and the resultant value isdivided by Si, thereby obtaining Δx (step S104). A value obtained byadding Δx to i, i.e., X' is represented by C (step S106), and the flowreturns to the main routine.

In the main routine, the value of C is set as the X-coordinate of theapproximate center (step S78).

Similar processing is performed in each row direction in steps S80 toS84 to obtain the Y-coordinate, and X and Y are set as values indicatingthe approximate center of the marker (step S86).

FIG. 31 shows an arrangement for realizing such processing.

A normalization circuit 326 performs normalization while setting whitedata as "0"; and black data, "1". Outputs from the normalization circuit326 are accumulated by an accumulation section 328 to calculate thetotal area S. The cumulative value is multiplied by 1/2 by a 1/2multiplying section 330 and latched in a latch circuit 332.

Meanwhile, the outputs from the normalization circuit 326 whichcorrespond to blocks in the X-axis direction are delayed by delaycircuits 334 and 336, and the respective arrays are sequentiallyaccumulated from the left side by an accumulation section 338, andaccumulation is performed in units of arrays by an accumulation section340. When the result is to be output, a portion of a central array Sxcis output.

A comparator 342 compares the 1/2 area latched in the latch circuit 332with the cumulative value of the respective arrays accumulated by theaccumulation section 338. A latch 344 serves to store a determinationtiming and the accumulation of preceding arrays. When the comparator 342determines that the cumulative value exceeds the 1/2 area, an X addresscalculation section 346 calculates the X address of the finalapproximate center of the marker from the 1/2 area latched in the latchcircuit 332, Sxl latched in the latch 344, a cumulative value Sxc fromthe accumulation section 340, an address corresponding to the abovevalue X' supplied from the address control section 220 through a delaycircuit 348.

Similarly, the Y address of the approximate center of the marker iscalculated by using delay circuits 350 and 352, accumulation sections354 and 356, a comparator 358, a latch 360, and a Y address calculationsection 362. Note that in this case, the delay circuits 350 and 352 areconstituted by line memories.

In this case, the delay circuits 334, 336, 350, and 352 are circuits foradjusting the output timings of S/2, Sxl, Sxc, Syl, and Syc to therequired timings of the X and Y address calculation sections 346 and362.

The data array direction detection section 218 will be described next.For the sake of descriptive convenience, the arrangement of therespective blocks 304 of the dot code will be described in detail first.The blocks 304 of the dot code are arranged as shown in FIG. 24B. FIG.32 shows the arrangement in more detail. That is, the block address 306can be divided into an upper address code 306A and a lower address code306B. The error detection code 312 can also be divided into an upperaddress CRC code 312A and a lower address CRC code 312B. The loweraddress code 306B is arranged on a side of the marker 310, and the upperaddress code 306A larger than the lower address code 306B is arranged onits side. The upper address CRC code 312A having the same size as thatof the upper address code 306A is added thereto. Furthermore, the loweraddress CRC code 312B having the same size as that of the lower addresscode 306B is added to the upper address CRC code 312A.

A block address and error detection data are also arranged under themarker 310 toward the lower marker in the order described above.

In this case, a combination of the upper address code 306A and the upperaddress CRC code 312A will be referred to as a step 1 code; and acombination of the lower address code 306B and the lower address CRCcode 312B, a step 2 code.

In addition, the lower address code 306B can be decomposed as follows.On the right side of the marker 310, codes inverted with respect to thedata of each of dots representing lower address data are written on theupper and lower sides of the data (on the left and right sides of thedata of the code under the marker 310). In addition, data marginalportions 364 are arranged to discriminate the code from the upper andlower data areas 314. Note that these data marginal portions 364 may beomitted. Inverted codes are added to not only a lower address code butalso an upper address code. In this case, for easy understanding ofdata, each dot is indicated by a circle. In practice, however, a whitecircle indicates the absence of a dot to be printed. That is, no whitecircle can be printed. Each white circle in the subsequent drawingsindicates the same.

In this case, upper and lower addresses are set such that when, forexample, the entire address consists of 12 bits, the first 4 bits areassigned to the upper address, and the next 8 bits are assigned to thelower address. The data lengths of such addresses can be changed inaccordance with an apparatus, as needed. An entire block address isbasically designed such that the first bit to a specific bit areassigned to an upper address, and the subsequent bit to the last bit areassigned to a lower address.

As described above, address codes are arranged in the horizontal andvertical directions. With this arrangement, even if address codedetection in one direction fails, the other address code can bedetected.

The arrangement of another dot code will be described with reference toFIG. 33. FIG. 33 shows a dot code from which the address codes in thevertical direction in FIG. 32 are omitted. Since address codes arearranged only in one direction, an increase in data area and processingspeed can be realized. Since address codes are arranged only in onedirection, if an address code cannot be detected, the address of thecorresponding block cannot be detected. However, the address can beobtained with address interpolation processing to be described later.

Referring to FIG. 33, block address codes are arranged only betweenmarkers in the horizontal direction. However, dot codes may have blockaddresses arranged only in the vertical direction.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 34, an upper address code 306A may bearranged between lower address codes 306B, and an upper address CRC code312A may be arranged between lower address CRC codes 312B.

Processing will be described below with reference to the dot code shownin FIG. 32. Only processing unique to the dot code shown in FIG. 33 willbe additionally described.

FIGS. 35 and 36 are a block diagram showing the arrangement of the dataarray direction detection section 218 in FIG. 23 and a flow chartshowing its operation.

The data array direction detection section 218 receives the data of theapproximate center of a marker from the approximate center detectionsection 322 in the marker detection section 216, and selects an adjacentmarker in an adjacent marker selection section 366. That is, theaddresses of the centers of the respective markers have been mapped on ascreen by the processing performed by the approximate center detectionsection 322. A representative marker to be currently processed, i.e., atarget marker, is selected from these markers (step S112), and adjacentmarker selection is performed to detect a marker whose approximatecenter is nearest to the representative marker (step S114).

As shown in FIG. 37, in adjacent marker selection processing, eachdistance d between the representativemarker and the adjacent markers iscalculated, and adjacent markers within the range of d≦dmax aredesignated (step S142). In this case, dmax represents the length of alonger side of a data block+α (α is determined bydecompression/contraction of a paper sheet). Thereafter, the approximatecenter addresses of the designated adjacent markers are supplied to astep 1 sample address generation circuit 368 in an order from shorterdistances d (step S144). Referring to FIG. 38A, for example, anapproximate center address at a distance D2 from the representativemarker is nearest thereto, and approximate center addresses at distancesD1 and D4 are next nearest to the representative marker, and approximatecenter addresses at distances D3 and D5 come next. Therefore, theapproximate center address at the nearest distance D2 is supplied first.If approximate center addresses are located at the same distance d, amarker search operation is performed clockwise from a distancecalculation start address, and direction detection is performed in theorder in which markers appear (step S146). That is, the approximatecenter addresses at the distances D1, D4, D3, and D5 are sequentiallysupplied to the step 1 sample address generation circuit 368 to performdirection detection to be described later.

More specifically, the step 1 sample address generation circuit 368generates step 1 sample addresses on the basis of the representativemarker and the approximate center of the selected adjacent marker (stepS116), and generates scanning lines connecting these step 1 sampleaddresses (step S118). The step 1 sample address generation circuit 368then generates read addresses to sample data in the image memory 214 atpoints set at equal intervals on the scanning lines (step S120). Theaddress control section 220 supplies the addresses at these samplepoints as read addresses to the image memory 214, thereby reading outdata.

According to the above description, data at a sample point isapproximated and output (from the image memory). However, as shown inFIG. 5, if it is determined that a sample point is present between datain the image memory, data may be obtained from the data of four pixelsaround the sample point by interpolation.

After the data read out by this operation, i.e., the upper address code,is subjected to error detection in an error detection circuit 370, theresultant data is supplied to an upper block address calculation andcenter calculation circuit 372. If the error detection result obtainedby the error detection circuit 370 indicates the presence of an error,the upper block address calculation and center calculation circuit 372supplies the address calculation result to the adjacent marker selectionsection 366 to cause it to perform the next adjacent marker selectionprocessing. If markers in two directions are detected, the upper blockaddress calculation and center calculation circuit 372 also supplies theaddress calculation result to the adjacent marker selection section 366to cause it to finish adjacent marker selection processing because anyadjacent markers need not be detected any more.

If the dot code shown in FIG. 33 is used, marker selection processing isfinished when the upper address codes in one direction are detected.

If the presence of an address error is indicated by this addresscalculation result (step S122), it is determined whether scanning allthe sample points is completed (step S124). If scanning is notcompleted, the flow advances to step S118. If scanning is completed, thepresence/absence of a non-detected adjacent marker is checked (stepS126). If a non-detected adjacent marker is present, the flow advancesto step S114 described above. If no such marker is present, all themarkers are processed in the same manner. After processing for all themarkers is completed, the flow advances to marker/address interpolationprocessing (step S128).

Note that the error detection circuit 370 may use a general errordetection scheme such as an error detection scheme based on cycliccodes, which is disclosed in, e.g., "Introduction to Coding Theory", theJournal of Television Institution, Vol. 44, No. 11, PP. 1549-1555.

If it is determined in step S122 that no address error is present, it isdetermined whether scanning at all the sample points is completed (stepS130). If scanning is not completed, the flow advances to step S118described above. If scanning at all the sample points is completed, anupper address is decided (step S132), and a step 1 center address iscalculated (step S134) and decided (step S136).

A direction detection is begun with a marker at the shortest distancefrom the representative marker (in FIG. 38A, the approximate centeraddress is at the distance D2). According to a detection method,specific directions in which peripheral markers are present aredetermined depending on whether addresses recorded on dot codes (step 1codes) for direction detection, which is larger than a data dot arerecognized or not. An upper block address and its CRC code are recordedin a step 1 code. If no error is detected in scanning the code, it isregarded that the code is recognized.

When the direction is detected, the inclination of the data block can beestimated. A step 1 code has directivity, and a block address isproperly recognized only when scanning is performed from arepresentative marker toward a peripheral marker. If, therefore, norecognition error occurs, block address codes in two directions arealways detected. Processing is performed until block address codes intwo directions are detected. A data array can be estimated from thepositional relationship between the two directions (see FIG. 38B).

When the dot code shown in FIG. 33 is to be used, address codes aredetected in only one direction. In this case, a data area can berecognized from a detected line and a scanning direction (FIG. 39).

In an actual operation, direction detection is started from the distanceD2 as the shortest distance from the representative marker. If noaddress is recognized, a search operation is performed clockwise.Therefore, a similar operation is repeated at the next shortest distanceD1. When detection is to be performed clockwise, detection is repeatedat the distances D4, D3, and D5. Processing is performed until twodirections are detected.

In the case shown in FIG. 33, processing is performed until onedirection is detected.

If one direction can be detected, the other direction may be estimated.Assume that D4 and D5 are in the forward direction, D2 is not present,and a search is started from D4. In this case, if an address isrecognized at D4, it can be estimated that an address can be recognizedat either D3 or D5.

The above direction detection processing will be described in moredetail below with reference to FIG. 40A.

The approximate center of the representative marker, which is detectedby the approximate center detection section 322 in the marker detectionsection 216, is defined as a dot A5 on the upper left side in FIG. 40A,and the step 1 sample address generation circuit 368 generates eightsample points A1 to A4 and A6 to A9, each separated from the dot A5 by1.5 dots (this value can be changed depending on processing, as needed).Similarly, sample addresses are generated around the approximate center(a dot B5 on the upper right side in FIG. 40A) of a marker, e.g., themarker at the distance D2, from which direction detection is to beperformed.

The reason why dots are arranged at 1.5-dot intervals will be describedbelow.

In the above description, when processing for obtaining an approximatemarker center is to be performed, a difference from the center is withinone dot. In this case, however, it is assumed that any inconveniencesuch as an ink blur does not occur. The detection range is set to beq1.5 dots in consideration of an ink blur and the like.

The address control section 220 draws predetermined lines between theaddresses of two markers. A scanning line is drawn between dots A1 andB1 at first. A sample clock is set to allow sampling of an upperaddress, thereby sampling data in the image memory 214.

As shown in FIG. 32, the upper address CRC code 312A is added to theupper address code 306A. For this reason, when data is properly read bythe data sampling operation, an error detection result obtained by theerror detection circuit 370 with respect to the upper address indicatesthat no problem is posed. When data is not properly read, the presenceof an error is determined.

Similarly, scanning lines are sequentially drawn between the dot A1 anda dot B2, the dot A1 and a dot B3, and the dot A1 and a dot B4 todetermine for each scanning line whether error detection is proper.Since there are nine positions on the representative marker side, andnine positions on the detection marker side, a total of 81 processes areperformed.

If errors are detected in all the 81 processes, it is determined that nodirection code is present in the corresponding direction, i.e., thedetection-side marker is marker other than an array (erroneouslydetected marker).

Assume that data is sampled at each sample point on a scanning line(indicated by the dotted line) drawn between the dot A1 and a dot B7 inFIG. 40A. In this case, since a sample point indicated by the brokencircle in FIG. 40A is located outside data, a detection error occurs.Especially, as described above, since inverted codes are arranged on theupper and lower sides of each data dot, an error always occurs.

If a line is drawn between dots A5 and B5, since data is properlydetected, no detection error occurs. Therefore, it is recognized that acode is present in the corresponding direction.

Although inverted codes are arranged on the upper and lower sides ofeach data dot to facilitate error detection, these codes need not alwaysbe arranged on the upper and lower sides. For example, white codes maybe written on the upper and lower sides of each address data dot, andaddress data dots may be written such that black data continues by a fewdots in the latter half of the address data dot portion. With this form,an end portion on the detection marker side is always black data, andwhite marginal portions are set outside the data. Therefore, a dataerror can be properly detected. In addition, inverted codes need not beset throughout the entire inverted code portions but may be partly seton the both sides (FIG. 41).

The size of a dot will be described below. As shown in FIG. 40B, assumethat the size of each dot of the upper address code 306A is representedby n dots, and the width of a step 1 code is represented by m dots. Inthis case, m and n have the following relationship. Widths, eachcorresponding to two dots with respect to the center, are set on theinner ends of the step 1 sample address, and diagonal lines are drawn.The height of a rectangle having a width m, which is determineddepending on how long the upper address code 306A is set, as a longside, and diagonal lines coinciding with the above diagonal lines isrepresented by n. That is, when m is determined, n is inevitablydetermined. Even if the entire portion between the inner ends of thestep 1 sample address is this address code, since the width correspondsto only two dots, n dots correspond to a width of two dots. Although thewidth of a dot is not determined, a width allowing easy recognition ofdata is preferable.

Note that the above two bits are defined to obtain a range in which ahit can be gained on a scanning line connecting, e.g., the dots A5 andB5, but no hit can be gained on a line connecting a dot A6 and the dotB4 and a line connecting dots A2 and B8. Assume that a larger value isdefined as the number of dots. In this case, if, for example, a hit isgained on a line connecting the dots A5 and B5, a hit is also gained ona line connecting the dots A2 and B8. As a result, the detection rangeof a center is widened. This value can also be changed in accordancewith an apparatus.

In the case shown in FIG. 40A, a hit is gained on a line connecting thedots A5 and B5. If, however, a hit is also gained on a line connecting adot A4 and the dot B5, the center between the dots A4 and A5 is set as astart point in the stage of the step 2 of center detection, and a searchoperation is performed on the basis of the center in the same manner asdescribed above.

Another method is also conceivable. This method will be described withreference to FIG. 42. In this case, if hits are gained on not only aline connecting dots A4 and A5 but also a line connecting dots B4 and B5on one side, sample addresses (A41 to A45, A51 to A55, B41 to B45, andB51 to B55) shown in FIG. 42 may be used as sample addresses in the nextstep 2. In this case, since the number of sample address points of thestep 2 increases from 9 to 10, the number of processes also increasesfrom 81 to 100 (scanning lines). However, since the processing ofobtaining the middle point between the dots A4 and A5 and predeterminedsample points are used, the processing of generating slope pulladdresses of the step 2 at nine points around a middle point need not beperformed. It seems that the processing is reduced as a whole.

Assume that the accurate center of the step 2 is present between thedots A4 and A5, and address detection processing is performed onscanning lines connecting the dots A42 to A44, the dots A52 to A54, thedots B42 to B44, and the dots B52 to B54. In this case, the number ofprocesses can be decreased from 81 to 36 (6×6).

In the above processing, a rough center in step 1 is obtained.

As described above, by detecting a CRC, whether data blocks areregularly arranged in the corresponding direction is detected. Referringto FIG. 38A, as is apparent, since the marker at the distance D2 is amarker erroneously detected, if a search for data is performed in thatdirection, no upper address code is present. Therefore, errors occur inthe direction in all 81 detecting operations. As a result, the absenceof a direction is determined.

If the absence of D2 is determined in this manner, D1 and D4 are thenext shortest distances. In this case, since detection is performedclockwise with respect to the current marker of interest, processingwith respect to the distance D1 is performed next. As described above,since determination can only be performed rightward or downward,processing is performed from the representative marker to the marker atthe distance D1 in this case. That is, codes are read in the reversedirection, i.e., from the CRC code to the address code. As is apparent,therefore, an error is determined. Consequently, the absence of adirection is determined with respect to the distance D1.

Determination with respect to the distance D4 is performed next. Sincean address code and a CRC code are read in the order named when a readoperation is performed from the representative marker toward thedistance D4, the presence of directivity is determined with respect toD4. That is, no error occurs.

Determination is to be performed next with respect to the distances D3and D5 which are equal distances. Since processing is performedclockwise, processing is performed first with respect to the distanceD3. With regard to D3 as well, since a CRC code is read first, it isdetected that there is no directivity. The distance D5 is eventuallyread, and it is determined that there is directivity with respect tothis distance.

As a result, since the distances D4 and D5 are read, it can berecognized that data corresponding to block addresses written atportions corresponding to the distance D4 and D5 are written in theportion indicated by hatching in FIG. 38B. If two directions aredetected finally with respect to one representative marker, thedirection of the block can be detected. Therefore, processing isperformed until two directions are detected.

In the case of the dot code shown in FIG. 33, only one direction isdetected. Processing is performed until one direction is detected (D5 inFIG. 39).

Note that if errors are detected upon processing in all the fivedirections described above, the above direction detection processing isperformed with respect to markers in the diagonal directions. In thiscase, in order to prevent an increase in the number of processes, noprocessing is performed with respect to markers located outside a givenrange. Necessary information such as address information, which couldnot be obtained, is obtained by marker/block address interpolationprocessing.

As described above, a block address is not modulated. If, however, ablock address is modulated, demodulation is required after a blockaddress code is recognized, as is apparent.

In the above description, the presence/absence of directivity isdetermined by using error detection of an upper address. However, forexample, a pattern having directivity like "11100001" may be usedinstead of an upper address CRC code so that when "11100001" is detectedby a pattern matching operation or the like, the presence of a marker inthe corresponding direction can be recognized.

In the above direction detection, adjacent markers need not be detectedclockwise with respect to all markers. In the next block, an operationof recognizing an upper address code may be performed in that direction.This operation allows a decrease in the number of processes.Furthermore, even if abnormality occurs in detection of an upperaddress, the presence of a code in a direction obtained by peripheraldirection detections may be recognized.

The block address detecting/error determining/accurate center detectionsection 300 will be described next with reference to the block diagramin FIG. 43 and the flow chart in FIG. 44.

Upon detecting an upper address, the upper block address calculation andcenter calculation circuit 372 in the data array direction detectionsection 218 sends the upper block address to a block address calculationand center calculation circuit 374 in the block address detecting/errordetermining/accurate center detection section 300. In addition, sincerough centers in upper address detection are known, these centeraddresses are supplied to a step 2 sample address generation circuit 376(step S152).

The step 2 sample address generation circuit 376 generates the sampleaddresses of this rough centers (step S154). More specifically, as shownin FIG. 45, eight sample addresses are set outside with respect to thepreviously obtained rough center (the center in direction detection) inthe same manner as described above. Subsequently, eight sample addressesare set outside with respect to a marker whose directivity is found, andscanning lines are drawn in the same manner as described above (stepS156), thereby performing processing to determine whether a loweraddress can be detected. In this embodiment, the data interval for thegeneration of sample addresses is defined as 0.5 dots. This value,however, can be changed depending on the specifications of an apparatus,as needed.

The address control section 220 reads out data from the image memory 214in accordance with the generated sample addresses, and supplies the datacorresponding to these sample points to an error detection circuit 378(step S158). Similar to direction detection (as shown in FIG. 5), when asample point is present between data in the image memory, thecorresponding data may be obtained by interpolation using peripheraldata instead of the scheme using one representative data in a memory. Ifan error is detected in error determination (step S160), it isdetermined whether scanning at all the sample points is completed (stepS162). If scanning is not completed, the flow advances to step S156described above. If scanning at the all the sample points is completed,the flow advances to marker/block address interpolation processing (stepS164) after addresses in all the blocks are detected.

If it is determined in step S160 that there is no address error, it isdetermined whether scanning at all the sample points is completed (stepS166). If scanning is not completed, the flow advances to step S156described above. If scanning at all the sample points is completed, alower address is confirmed (step S168), and an accurate center (step 2center) is decided (step S170).

That is, error detection is performed by the error detection circuit378, and the flow advances to the next processing if an error isdetermined by error determination. The block address calculation andcenter calculation circuit 374 has received start and end addresses incenter detection, i.e., a signal indicating specific points which arecurrently connected, from the address control section 220. The blockaddress calculation and center calculation circuit 374 determineswhether error detection can be performed at the corresponding points. Ifno error is detected, the block address calculation and centercalculation circuit 374 combines the obtained lower address with theupper address sent from the upper block address calculation and centercalculation circuit 372 and supplies the resultant address as a blockaddress to the marker/address interpolation section 302. Similarly, theblock address calculation and center calculation circuit 374 suppliesthe center address to the marker/address interpolation section 302.

Referring to FIG. 45, the data interval is set to be 0.5 dots for thefollowing reason. By detecting sample points within the range of 0.5dots, the difference between the center (center in direction detection)finally obtained by this processing and the true center falls within therange of 1/4 dots. If the difference falls within the range of 1/4 dots,data can be accurately reproduced in a data area by setting samplepoints formed by the above processing.

Since the minimum dot size of a step 2 code corresponds to one dot, adata arrangement smaller than this dot size has no meaning as data.Therefore, it is constituted by one dot.

Similar to the step 1 code, inverted codes may be arranged on the upperand lower sides of each address data dot, or black data may be set for afew dots at the end portion, while a marginal portion may be set aroundthe black data. With regard to the data marginal portion 364 fordiscriminating an address code from a data code, even if an area fordiscrimination from the data area 314 is black and superposed on thedata area, the probability that the area is mistaken for a marker isvery low. Therefore, this data marginal portion 364 need not be formed,and the data area 314 may be directly continuous with the invertedlayer.

As shown in FIG. 45, as a result, address data has a data length 1/2 thetotal data length in the form of lower and upper addresses, and is addeda CRC code having the same length. This data length is set to allowdetection of a burst error even in a state wherein noise is superposedor an ink is attached to an entire portion corresponding to this addresslength. This data length ratio can be changed, as needed.

An accurate center for sampling data in the data area 314 and a blockaddress are recognized by the above tree search processing, i.e., thedetecting method of obtaining a rough center at first and obtaining amore accurate center. That is, by performing tree search processing, theprocessing can be greatly reduced and the processing amount and time canbe reduced as compared with a case wherein sampling is performed at afine pitch from the beginning. In addition, the degree of redundancy ofa total data amount can be reduced by using block addresses fordetection of a direction and an accurate center.

The marker/address interpolation section 302 will be described next withreference to FIG. 46. Referring to FIG. 46, assume that a marker of ablock B2 is not detected or an address of the block B2 is not detected,but black marker portions around the undetected marker of the block B2are detected.

In this case, a line connecting the obtained centers of the markers ofblocks B1 and B3 is drawn, and a line connecting the obtained centers ofthe markers of blocks A2 and C2 is also drawn. The intersection of theselines is set as an estimation center. From this estimation center point,address detection and processing can be performed toward the markers ofthe blocks C2 and B3. Even if address detection is not performed, sincean arrangement is known, the address of the block B2 can be set inaccordance with addresses therearound when the block B2 is present belowthe block B1. Therefore, estimation can be performed without detection.That is, the address and marker center of a block of interest, whichcould not be estimated, can be detected from processing around theblock.

The marker/address interpolation section 302 supplies properly readaddress data, an address interpolated with a center position, andinformation about the estimation center to the address control sectionaltogether.

If the data is loaded into the image memory 214 as shown in FIG. 46 andthe scanning direction is the direction indicated by the arrow, a markerlocated approximately at an upper left position is set as the firstrepresentative marker, and processing is started therefrom. Centerdetection is sequentially performed in the vertical direction, and afirst detecting operation in the vertical direction is performed toobtain eight centers (the markers of blocks A1 to A4 and the markers ofblocks B1 to B4). In center detection in the next vertical array, sincethe centers of the markers of the blocks B1 to B4 have already beenknown, no processing for them is performed, but rough centers of themarkers of blocks C1 to C4, the centers of step 1, and the centers ofstep 2 are obtained on the basis of the known centers. Therefore, theabove 81 scanning lines are not required. Once a center is obtained,sampling may be performed at subsequent nine points. For this reason, acenter can be obtained by nine processes and nine finer processes, i.e.,a total of 18 processes. As described above, although the amount ofprocessing is large only at first, the amount of subsequent processingcan be advantageously reduced.

In the case of the dot code shown in FIG. 33, direction detectionprocessing is performed first with respect to the blocks A1, B1, and C1,i.e., in the lateral direction, with the block A1 at the upper leftposition being considered as a representative marker. When the markercenters of the blocks A1 and B1 are obtained, center detectionprocessing for the block C1 can be performed by nine processes. In orderto determine that the block below the block A1 is the block A2, thefollowing processing is performed because no address code is available.

That is, the size of the block may be determined on the basis of thelengths of the A1 and B1 markers, and detection may be started from amarker at a proper position on the basis of the estimated size of theblock. Alternatively, processing may be performed while the markerimmediately below the block A1 is regarded as a representative marker.With this operation, a block having a block address in the laterdirection which coincides with the detected block address may bedetermined as the block A2. When direction detection on two stages (thestages of A1 and A2 in FIG. 46) is completed, a direction can beestimated in processing in the vertical direction (processing ofselecting the marker of the block A3). Therefore, detection processingmay be performed with respect to only the markers in this direction.Even if there is an erroneously detected marker, processing can beperformed without using the marker.

The address control section 220 in FIG. 23 will be described next withreference to the block diagram in FIG. 47.

In the address control section 220, first of all, data from the A/Dconversion section 210 is stored in the image memory 214 by an addressgenerated by a write address generation section 380 for generating anaddress when data from the A/D conversion section 210 is to be writtenin the image memory 214.

As described above, addresses need to be respectively generated in themarker detection section 216, the data array direction detection section218, the block address detection/error determination/ accurate centerdetection section 300, and the marker/address interpolation section 302.Address generation sections 382 to 388 are arranged for this purpose. Inthis case, the marker detection address generation section 382, the dataarray direction detection address generation section 384, and theaddress generation section 386 for block address detection/errordetermination/accurate center detection generate addresses by exchanginginformation with the marker detection section 216 (the markerdetermination section 318, the marker area detection section 320, andthe approximate center detection section 322 in the marker detectionsection 216), the data array direction detection section 218, and theblock address detection/error determination/accurate center detectionsection 300, respectively. The interpolation address generation section388 generates interpolated address coordinate data and memory readaddresses for pixel data around there, the interpolated addresscoordinate data being obtained by dividing a block having four markerstherearound into equal portions in accordance with addresses (to bereferred to as marker addresses hereinafter) to which the accuratecenters of the respective markers are caused to correspond in the imagememory, and a data count.

A selection circuit 390 selects these address generation sections 382 to388 at the respective timings to supply corresponding data to a lensaberration distortion correction circuit 392. The lens aberrationdistortion correction circuit 392 receives lens aberration distortioninformation from the memory 224, converts (corrects) a selectivelysupplied address, and supplies the resultant data, as a read address, tothe image memory 214 via a selection circuit 394.

Another embodiment of the marker determination section 318 in the markerdetection section 216 will be described next with reference to FIGS. 48to 50.

In the above embodiment, when the size of a dot code is determined, thedot code is imaged by the image formation optical system 200 such thatone dot of the code corresponds to 1.5 pixels as image pickup elementsof the image pickup section 204. In the marker determination section318, two-dimensional consecutive black pixels are found and determinedas a marker. In contrast to this, in this embodiment, when codes havingdifferent dot sizes, e.g., a 20-μm code, a 40-μm code, and a 80-μm code,are present, the respective codes can be reproduced without changing theimage magnification of the image formation optical system 200.

In various applications, different paper qualities, different sheetcharacteristics, different inks, and different printing levels are set.For this reason, codes having dot sizes corresponding to the respectiveapplications are used. If, for example, a very high recording densitycan be realized, a 20-μm code is used. In an application using a rough,low-cost sheet with poor quality, a 80-μm code is used. It is an objectof this embodiment to decide the size of a code and reproduce the codeproperly in such a state.

Assume that there are circular markers having dot sizes of 20 μm, 40 μm,and 80 μm as shown in FIG. 48, and a reproducing apparatus to which thisembodiment is applied is an apparatus for efficiently reproducing a20-μm code, i.e., an apparatus in which the magnification of an imageformation system is set to decode a larger amount of information withone imaging operation. It is an object of the embodiment to reproduce40-μm and 80-μm codes without changing the image magnification of theimage formation system in the apparatus for imaging this 20-μm dot at animage magnification of×1.5. Note that the size of each marker shown inFIG. 48 has a diameter seven times a corresponding dot size.

As shown in FIG. 49, first of all, a code having the maximum dot size tobe selected is set to be an initial value (step S182). If, for example,80-μm, 40-μm, and 20-μm codes are present, and all the codes are to bereproduced, the 80-μm code having the maximum size is set to be aninitial value. This code may be set by a key input operation performedby the user. If three types of codes, i.e., 80-μm, 40-μm, and 20-μmcodes, are set, and the apparatus can perform proper processing onlywith respect to these sizes, the apparatus may set by itself a codehaving the maximum size, i.e., a 80-μm code.

Determination is performed according to a marker determination formulaeshown in FIG. 48 to obtain a temporary center (step S184).

Assume that a code is formed by using 7-dot portion of each dot size asa marker. At this time, since the image formation system has an imagemagnification of×1.5, an image of a 20-μm code has a diametercorresponding to 10.5 dots; an image of a 40-μm code, a diametercorresponding to 21 dots; and an image of an 80-μm code, a diametercorresponding to 42 dots. For this reason, if 7 or more and 12 or lesstwo-dimensionally consecutive black pixels are detected, thecorresponding portion is determined as a 20-μm code marker. If 14 ormore and 24 or less two dimensionally consecutive black pixels aredetected, the corresponding portion is determined as a 40-μm codemarker. If 29 or more and 47 or less two-dimensionally consecutive blackpixels are detected, the corresponding portion is determined as a 80-μmcode marker.

This pixel value is calculated according to the following formulae:

    r=s×d×m

    int(r×0.7)≦R≦int (r×1.1+1)

r: the number of pixels (=7) corresponding to the diameter of a marker

s: the dot size (20 μm, 40 μm, or 80 μm)

m: the image magnification (=1.5) of the image formation system

d: the number of dots corresponding to the diameter of the marker

R: the number of pixels corresponding to the diameter of the marker as abinary image

0.7: the reduction ratio based on the inclination, dot rejection, andthe like

1.1: the magnifying power based on dot gain

Since an 80-μm code marker is initially set in step S182, it is checkedin step S184 according to the above marker determination formulaewhether a marker is an 80-μm code marker, and a temporary center of eachmarker of the corresponding size (a marker constituted by a 80-μm dot)is obtained.

Subsequently, it is checked whether the number of such markers is fouror more (step S186). Since one block is surrounded by four markers, thisoperation is performed to determine whether one or more blocks arepresent.

It is then checked whether the markers have predetermined positionalrelationships with adjacent markers like those shown in FIG. 50, i.e.,whether the markers are properly arranged (step S188). That is, a markerB located near a target marker A, a marker C located near a positionseparated from the target marker A by a distance D in a directionperpendicular to a line connecting the markers A and B, and a marker Dlocated near a position separated from the marker B by the distance D inthe same direction as that from the marker A to the marker C aredetected. If these markers are present, an 80-μm code is determined inthis case.

If it is determined in step S186 that the number of 80-μm code markersis less than four, or it is determined in step S188 that the markers arenot properly arranged, it is determined that the corresponding portionis not an 80-μm code. In this case, a code having a size smaller thanthat of the previously set code by one level, i.e., a 40-μm code in thiscase, is set (step S190), and the flow returns to step S184 to performmarker determination again.

If determination cannot be performed with the smallest code size, thecorresponding portion is not a code or a code which cannot bereproduced. Therefore, the processing is terminated. In this case, theflow preferably advances to processing of generating a warning such asan alarm.

Another embodiment of the marker determination section 318 will bedescribed next. A method of determining a marker pattern and modulateddata by dilation as general image processing. In this case, dilationprocessing is processing of converting a black pixel near a white pixelinto a white pixel. More specifically, if, for example, three pixelsaround a target pixel (in an area of 7×7 pixels around the target pixel)are checked (black/white determination), if at least one of them is awhite pixel, the target pixel is converted into a white pixel. Thisprocessing is performed with respect to all the pixels on an image.

First of all, binarization processing of data in an image memory isperformed.

Subsequently, only the data portion of the code image is converted intowhite pixels by the above dilation processing, and a marker patternportion is converted into an image smaller than the original size by anamount corresponding to the number of pixels having undergone dilation.

The number of consecutive black pixels is counted from addresses ofpoints where the white pixels on the image are changed into black pixelsin the image memory and the corresponding pixels. The information abouteach marker is classified for each marker in accordance with the aboveinformation. The above temporary center address and the range in whichthe markers are present are detected. Thereafter, approximate centerdetection processing is performed.

With this operation, marker determination and detection of the range inwhich the markers are present can be performed at high speed.

Furthermore, in a code in which markers have undergone uniformdeformation with respect to the marker center, e.g., the above-describeddot gain or dot reduction, the temporary center address obtained by theabove marker determination may be directly set as an approximate center.

The processing in step S184 in FIG. 49 may be used as the aboveprocessing.

When the operation of the above A/D conversion section is performed bybinarization using a comparator, binarization processing in the markerdetermination processing can be omitted.

A light-source-integrated image sensor which can be applied to thedetection section 184 of the reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 17 or23 will be described next. FIG. 51 shows the arrangement of the imagesensor. For example, light-emitting cells 398 are formed besidelight-receiving cells 396 by an on-chip process using compoundsemiconductor elements such as LEDs or electroluminescence elements.Grooves are formed between the light-receiving cells 396 and thelight-emitting cells 398 by actually cutting the wafer with a cutter,and non-transparent portions, e.g., isolation (light-shielding) portions400 obtained by embedding a metal, are formed in the grooves. Theisolation portions 400 serve to eliminate the inconvenience that lightemitted from the light-emitting cells 398 is directly incident on thelight-receiving cells 396.

In this arrangement, emission of each light-emitting cell 398 iscontrolled by a light-emitting cell control pulse signal like the oneshown in the timing chart in FIG. 18. Each light-receiving cell 396supplies stored charges to an adjacent vertical charge transfer register402 upon application of a charge transfer gate pulse signal to a chargetransfer gate (not shown). Each vertical charge transfer register 402transfers stored charges to a horizontal charge transfer register 404 inunits of lines in response to a vertical charge transfer pulse. Thehorizontal charge transfer register 404 outputs stored charges in unitsof pixels via a buffer amplifier 406 in response to a horizontaltransfer clock signal.

An embodiment wherein a portion, of the circuit of the above-describedreproducing apparatus, located before the demodulation circuit isrealized by an analog circuit and formed into one chip will be describednext with reference to FIG. 52. In this embodiment, as an image pickupsection, an X-Y addressing image pickup section 408 represented by a CMDlike the one disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 61-4376is used. With the use of this section, no memory is required, and only asmall circuit system is required. Therefore, the circuit can be formedon one chip. X and Y decoders 410 and 412 are prepared for addressscanning of this X-Y addressing image pickup section 408.

In a general X-Y addressing image pickup section, after one line isread, this line is reset and the next line is read, unlike a CCD. Thatis, this image pickup section generally uses a read method in whichwhile a given line is read, an exposure period for another line isstarted. According to such a read method, however, when external lightis incident during an image pickup period, an unnecessary portion isexposed. Owing to such a demerit, in this embodiment, in addition to theX-Y address scheme, an element shutter is used in such a manner thatexposure is performed only when external light is incident, i.e.,exposure is to be performed, but no exposure is performed otherwise.

An image pickup element scanning address generation and element shuttercontrol section 414 generates an element shutter pulse for an operationequivalent to an element shutter according to the X-Y addressing scheme,and a reset pulse for setting all the pixels.

The X and Y decoders 410 and 412 are circuits for turning one of theelements in accordance with X and Y addresses from the image pickupelement scanning address generation and element shutter control section414. These circuits are generally constituted by shift registers and thelike. In this embodiment, however, the circuits constitute a selectorcapable of turning one of the elements in accordance with signals fromthe image pickup element scanning address generation and element shuttercontrol section 414.

The reset pulse in this embodiment is equivalent to the image pickupelement reset pulse in the timing chart in FIG. 18. This reset pulseserves to reset each image pickup element before exposure. By settingthe reset pulse at Hi during this reset period, a switch 416 is switchedto supply all the charges to a negative power supply 418.

As indicated by the waveform indicated by the broken line in FIG. 18,the element shutter pulse is generated to have a waveform which allows agate operation in the time interval between the trailing edge of a resetpulse and the end of exposure.

In a read operation, similar to a normal pulse, the elements aresequentially turned on, and signal charges are supplied to a markerdetection section 422 via the switch 416 for a reset period after thecharges are amplified by a current/voltage conversion amplifier 420. Themarker detection section 422 is the same as that described above, anddata having undergone marker detection is stored in a register 424. A θdetection section 426 obtains an inclination on the basis of thecontents of the register 424 in the same manner as the above-describeddirection detection section. For example, in the circuit shown in FIG.23, the θ detection section 426 corresponds to the data array directiondetection section 218, and a data interval control section 428 and theimage pickup element scanning address generation and element shuttercontrol section 414 correspond to the address control section 220.

Coefficients for interpolation, which are generated by a coefficientgeneration section 430 under the control of the data interval controlsection 428, are multiplied by the read charges by a multiplying circuit432, and all the products are added by an addition circuit 434. That is,an output from the addition circuit 434 is sampled/held by a sample andhold (S & H) circuit 436, and is returned to the addition circuit 434via a switch 438. This operation is performed to perform datainterpolation like the one shown in FIG. 5 when data is sampled after adirection and a scanning line are confirmed. Referring to FIG. 5, inorder to obtain data at Q, interpolation is performed by multiplyingcoefficients and D6, D7, D10, and D11. The value interpolated in thismanner is further sampled/held by an S & H circuit 440, and binarizationof the sampled/held value is performed by a comparator 442 and athreshold value determination circuit 444.

Each image pickup element (pixel) of the X-Y addressing image pickupsection 408 will be described in more detail. Each pixel is constitutedby two CMD elements, as shown in FIG. 53. An element shutter pulse isinput to a first CMD element 446 to store charges in a capacitor 448 foran element shutter. Thereafter, a second CMD element 450 is driven by aread pulse from the Y decoder 412 to select a line so as to read outcharges in units of pixels via a horizontal selection switch 452.

In an exposure operation, the CMD element 446 is caused to perform anelement shutter operation by an element shutter pulse to store chargesin the element shutter capacitor 448. When charges are stored in thismanner, light is shielded, and a read pulse from the Y decoder 412 isapplied, thereby selecting a line. The CMD element 450 is then turned onby the horizontal selection switch 452 to read out charges in units ofpixels.

When charges are to be reset, all horizontal selection switches 454 areturned on by a read pulse output from the image pickup element scanningaddress generation and element shutter control section 414, and theswitch 416 for a reset period is set on the negative power supply 418side. Since the source of the CMD element 450 is set at a negativevoltage, the charges stored in the capacitor 448 and the gate of the CMDelement 446 are moved to the negative power supply so as to be reset.

Charges can also be reset by simultaneously applying voltages slightlyhigher than those in the above operation as the voltages of an elementshutter pulse and a read pulse.

Note that a dark current poses a problem in a general image pickupelement. In this embodiment, however, since exposure is performed onlyduring a period in which the element shutter pulse shown in FIG. 18 isat high level, and charges are immediately read out, the time duringwhich a dark current is stored is very short in practice. Therefore,this image pickup element is advantageous over other image pickupelements in terms of S/N ratio. In an exposure operation, since asufficient amount of light is provided even during this short exposureperiod, the S/N level is low with respect to a dark current while thesignal level remains the same. Therefore, with the application of thisembodiment, the gain of the degree of output of the current/voltageconversion amplifier 420 on the subsequent stage can be set to be aconsiderably large value.

In this embodiment, a pixel arrangement is designed to perform the aboveelement shutter operation. However, a CMD element capable of an elementshutter operation as disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No.61-4376 may be used.

An embodiment in which the circuit using the above X-Y addressing imagepickup section 408 is formed as a three-dimensional IC will be describednext with reference to FIG. 54. Note that this embodiment is associatedwith an audio information reproducing apparatus.

This embodiment is constituted by an image pickup section layer 454opposing the paper surface of a sheet 182 and including a X-Y addressingimage pickup section 408, an X decoder 410, and a Y decoder 412, adetection section layer 456 stacked/formed on the image pickup sectionlayer 454 and designed to detect data, and an output processing layer458 stacked/formed on the detection section layer 456. The outputprocessing layer 458 includes a demodulating section 190, an errorcorrection section 194, an decompression processing section 256, a datainterpolation circuit 258, a D/A conversion section/output buffer 266,and the like. The output processing layer 458 reproduces decoded audioinformation as a sound through a speech output device 268 such as anearphone.

It is apparent, as described above, that the output processing layer 458can be designed to reproduce multimedia information including imageinformation.

By forming the above circuit into a three-dimension IC, processing canbe performed up to a sound output operation. Therefore, the circuit sizecan be greatly reduced, leading to a reduction in cost.

Examples of the arrangement of a pen type information reproducingapparatus will be described next.

For example, a switch for designating a timing of a dot code loadingoperation can be arranged in a pen type information reproducingapparatus.

FIG. 55 shows an example of the apparatus. The detection section 184including the light source 198, the image formation optical system 200,the spatial filter 202, the image pickup section 204, the preamplifier206, and the image pickup section control section 212 in the reproducingapparatus shown in FIG. 17 or 23 is arranged in a distal end portion ofthis pen type information reproducing apparatus. The scan conversionsection 186, the binarization processing section 188, the demodulatingsection 190, the error correction section 194, the decompressionprocessing section 256, the data interpolation circuit 258, and the likeare incorporated, as an image processing section 460, a data processingsection 462, and a data output section 464, in the apparatus. Theapparatus includes an earphone as the speech output device 268. FIG. 55shows only an audio information output unit. As is apparent, however, ifthe apparatus incorporates a processing section for images, characters,line drawings, and the like, the apparatus can be connected to acorresponding output unit (the same applies to the following descriptionof the pen type information reproducing apparatus).

A touch sensor 466 is arranged on a side surface of this pen typeinformation reproducing apparatus. As this touch sensor 466, forexample, a piezoelectric switch, a microswitch, or piezoelectric rubbercan be used, and a compact switch having a thickness of 0.6 mm or lessis known. The control section as the image pickup section controlsection 212 starts to load a dot code like the one described above inresponse to depression of the touch sensor 466 by a finger of the user.When the finger is released from the touch sensor 466, the loadingoperation is terminated. That is, the start and end of a dot codeloading operation are controlled by using this touch sensor 466.

Note that reference numeral 468 in FIG. 55 denotes a battery as anoperating power supply for each portion in the pen type informationreproducing apparatus.

In addition, the touch sensor 466 may be attached to the distal endportion of a pen type information reproducing apparatus as shown in FIG.56 instead of being depressed by a finger of the user. With thisarrangement as well, the same function as described above can berealized.

When the user puts this pen type information reproducing apparatus on asheet 182 to manually scan a dot code printed on the sheet 182, thetouch sensor 466 is turned on. The image pickup section control section212 recognizes it and starts to read the dot code.

In this case, since the distal end portion of the pen type informationreproducing apparatus is moved in contact with a sheet surface in ascanning operation, the distal end portion of the touch sensor 466,i.e., the surface which is brought into contact with a sheet surface, ispreferably coated with a smooth resin material or the like to allowsmooth movement in manual scanning (movement).

In addition, the detection section of the pen type informationreproducing apparatus may further include a mechanism for preventingspecular reflection.

FIG. 57A shows the arrangement of the mechanism, in which a firstpolarizing filter 470 is arranged in front of the light source (LEDs orthe like) 198, i.e., on the side where light is radiated, and a secondpolarizing filter 472 is arranged in front of the image formationoptical system (lens) 200.

For example, as shown in FIG. 57B, the first polarizing filter 470 isformed by cutting a polarizing filter film 474 in the form of adoughnut. The second polarizing filter 472 may be formed by using adifferent polarizing filter film 476, or the inner portion which is cutfrom the polarizing filter film 474 when the first polarizing filter 470is formed, as shown in FIG. 57C.

The first and second polarizing filters 470 and 472 formed in thismanner are arranged such that the pattern surface (polarizing surface)of the second polarizing filter 472 is perpendicular to the patternsurface (polarizing direction) of the first polarizing filter 470.

As a result, the plane of polarization of random light emitted from thelight source 198 is limited by the first polarizing filter 470 toradiate, for example, P-polarized light. A specularly reflected lightcomponent returns, as P-polarized light, from the sheet surface with itsplane of polarization being maintained. However, since the plane ofpolarization of the second polarizing filter 472 is perpendicular tothat of the first polarizing filter 470, this specularly reflected lightcomponent is cut by the second polarizing filter 472. On the other hand,light output from the first polarizing filter 470 is incident on actualdots, i.e., the sheet surface and returns as luminance information onthe sheet surface. The plane of polarization of such light becomesrandom. Therefore, a signal which is incident on a sheet surface andreturns as monochrome information or color information has both P- andS-polarized light components. Of these light components, the P-polarizedlight component is cut by the second polarizing filter 472, but theS-polarized light component perpendicular to the P-polarized lightcomponent passes through the second polarizing filter 472 and isactually focused on the image pickup section 204 via the lens 200. Thatis, the reflected light from which the specularly reflected lightcomponent is removed is guided to the image pickup section 204.

In this case, a λ/4 plate 1230 is arranged in front of the spatialfilter 202 so that image light incident as linearly polarized light isconverted into circularly polarized light and input to the spatialfilter 202. Such an arrangement is employed because the spatial filtergenerally uses the birefringence of quartz and hence cannot exhibit itseffect with linearly polarized light. In this case, the λ/4 plate 1230is arranged in front of the spatial filter 202. However, the presentinvention is not limited to this. The λ/4 plate 1230 may be arranged inan arbitrary place between the second polarizing filter 472 and thespatial filter 202, where the λ/4 plate 1230 can be easily arranged.

As an arrangement for removing a specularly reflected light component inthis manner, an arrangement like the one shown in FIG. 58 is alsoconceivable. In this arrangement, instead of disposing the firstpolarizing filter 470 near the light source 198, the filter is disposedat the exit portion of an optical waveguide member 480 consisting of atransparent resin and having a surface mirror coat 478. The opticalwaveguide member 480 is used to guide light from the light source 198 toa state very close to a sheet surface to irradiate the sheet (dot code)with the light. In this case, the first polarizing filter 470 isarranged such that light perpendicular to the second polarizing filter472 is transmitted therethrough.

With the use of the optical waveguide member 480, the following meritscan be obtained. The light source 198 and outer shape can be greatlynarrowed. Since the incident angle is decreased, the specularlyreflected light component can be reduced.

Note that since some specularly reflected light component is leftbecause of swelling of an ink, swelling of a sheet surface, or the like,a polarizing filter is arranged to further efficiently remove the lightcomponent.

In addition, instead of the second polarizing filter 472, anelectrooptical element shutter 1220 such as a liquid crystal shutter ora PLZT shutter may be arranged. As shown in FIG. 59, this electroopticalelement shutter 1220 is constituted by a polarizer 1221 as a polarizingfilter, an electrooptical element 1222 such as a liquid crystal or PLZT,and an analyzer 1223 as a polarizing filter. In this case, a specularreflection preventing effect can be obtained by disposing the shutter1220 such that the aligning direction of the polarizer (polarizingfilter) 1221 of the electrooptical element shutter 1220 coincides withthat of the second polarizing filter 472.

With the shutter function, a frame read operation can be performed by animage sensor capable of a field read operation, e.g., an IT-CCD, orsimultaneous exposure of all pixels can be realized by using an X-Yaddressing image sensor such as a CMD.

An attempt to make the light source 198 portion efficient so as to slimdown the apparatus will be described next.

FIG. 60A shows the arrangement for this attempt. Similar to the caseshown in FIG. 58, this arrangement includes a transparent acrylic resinoptical waveguide member 480 having a mirror coat 478 on its surface. Asshown in FIG. 60B, the transparent acrylic resin optical waveguidemember 480 is formed into a truncated cone and has a threaded portion482 on its upper portion (decompressing end portion). The transparentacrylic resin optical waveguide member 480 is threadably engaged with ahousing 484 of the pen type information reproducing apparatus. Thesurface mirror coat 478 is not formed on an inner portion near thethreaded portion 482, and the light source 198 is arranged on a portion486. That is, the light source 198 is provided as a ring-like LED arrayobtained by mounting LEDs on a narrow flexible board 488. This LED arrayis bonded to the portion 486 on which the above surface mirror coat isnot formed. As shown in FIG. 60C, the lower portion (distal end portion)of the transparent acrylic resin optical waveguide member 480 is cut toform a portion 490 on which the surface mirror coat 478 is not formed.Therefore, light from the light source 198 enters the transparentacrylic resin optical waveguide member 480 via the above non-mirror-coatportion 486. The light is then reflected by the surface mirror coat 478,emerges from the non-mirror-coat portion 490 of the distal end portionvia the transparent acrylic resin optical waveguide member 480, and isirradiated on a dot code on a sheet.

Note that the distal end portion of the transparent acrylic resinoptical waveguide member 480 may not be bent, and the surface mirrorcoat 478 may be formed only an outer portion, as shown in FIG. 60D,thereby realizing a shape which facilitates the manufacture of themember. In this case, it is more preferable that the distal end berounded to slide easily.

An example of the pen type information reproducing apparatus using thelight-source-integrated image sensor will be described next (see FIG.61).

In this embodiment, a light-source-integrated image sensor 492 like theone described with reference to FIG. 51 is used, a rod lens (e.g., aSELFOC lens or a convex lens) 494 as an image formation system and athin glass plate 496 are arranged on the exposure surface of the sensor.In this case, the thin glass plate 496 serves as a protective glass foran actual contact surface, and also serves to ensure a certain distanceto make illumination as flat as possible.

By using the light-source-integrated image sensor 492 in this manner,the pen type information reproducing apparatus can be made compact andreduced in the longitudinal direction as well.

A pen type information reproducing apparatus capable of processing a dotcode as color multiplex data will be described next.

FIG. 62 shows the arrangement of this apparatus, which has a touchsensor 466 like the one shown in FIG. 55 and first and second polarizingfilters 470 and 472 like those shown in FIG. 57A. Furthermore, the pentype information reproducing apparatus of this embodiment includes acolor liquid crystal 498 controlled by a control section 212 andarranged on the pupil plane of the lens 200 so as to read a colormultiplex dot code obtained by synthesizing a plurality of dot codesconsisting of different colors, as shown in FIG. 63A.

An application of a color multiplex dot code will be described first toexplain how the control section 212 controls the color liquid crystal498.

Consider, for example, as shown in FIG. 63B, an A4 sheet 500 on which acolor multiplex dot code 502 is arranged, a phrase "Good Morning" iswritten in correspondence therewith, and indexes 504 and index codes 506are arranged at a predetermined position, e.g., a lower right position.When the color multiplex dot code 502 is to be reproduced by this pentype information reproducing apparatus, one of the index codes 506arranged in correspondence with the indexes 504, as shown in FIG. 63C,is scanned and recognized to select one of the following choicesindicated by the indexes 504: causing the apparatus to output audibly"ohayou gozaimasu" in Japanese; causing the apparatus to output audibly"Good Morning" in English; and causing the apparatus to output audibly"Guten Morgen" in German. When the color multiplex dot code 502 isscanned after, for example, the choice "Japanese" is selected, "ohayougozaimasu" is output audibly. The above operation is the object of thisembodiment. The following description is associated with this object.

First of all, as shown in FIG. 63A, a dot code audible in Japanese isgenerated and is assigned, as code 1, to red (R). Similarly, a dot codeaudible in English is generated and assigned, as code 2, to green (G). Adot code audible in German is generated and assigned, as code 3, to blue(B). The color multiplex dot code 502 is then recorded on the sheet 500such that the color of a portion where the respective pieces ofinformation are superposed is a color obtained by an additive colorprocess. In this case, a portion where colors are not superposed on eachother is recorded as a black dot. That is, although a dot code isconstituted by markers and data dots, as described above, the markersare recorded in black and the data dots are recorded in a differentcolor by the additive color process. To perform a recording operationwith the color multiplex dot code 502 is to increase the recordingdensity.

Note that the colors of information are not limited to the above threecolors, i.e., R, G, and B, but different pieces of information may beassigned to colors of wavelengths in different narrow bands. Therefore,more types of information, e.g., four or five types of information, canbe multiplexed by using colors of wavelengths in different narrow bands.In this case, as color inks, inks mixed with coloring agent (inksreflecting only light components having narrow band wavelengths) areconceivable as well as conventional inks such as cyan, yellow, andmagenta inks.

The index codes 506 are arranged on the underline portions of theindexes 504 indicated by characters or pictures to be recognized andselected by the user. The index codes are recorded in black to be readregardless of a selected color.

The color liquid crystal 498 is formed by bonding R, G, and Blight-transmitting mosaic filters in correspondence with liquid crystalpixels. The color liquid crystal 498 serves to separate pieces ofinformation of the respective colors of the color multiplex dot code502. That is, the color liquid crystal 498 is controlled by the controlsection 212 to transmit only pixels corresponding to the color ofinformation selected by scanning one of the index codes 506. Inaddition, the liquid crystal may be designed to surface-divide anoptical path, instead of being arranged in a mosaic state. In this case,the divided surface area ratio of each color is preferably set ininverse proportion to the sensitivity of a pixel so as to make thesensitivities of the respective colors uniform. That is, when asensitivity for B is low, the corresponding area is set larger thanthose of other colors. In addition, the color liquid crystal may bearranged on the light source side.

An operation of reading one of the index codes 506 and selecting a colorto produce an output in a desired language will be described next withreference to the flow chart in FIG. 64.

When, for example, green is selected by initialization (step S202), andthe touch sensor 466 is depressed (step S204), the control section 212controls the liquid crystal transmission portion of the color liquidcrystal 498 in accordance with the color selection (step S206). Forexample, in an initialized state, since green is selected, only the dotshaving green filters are made transmissive. Subsequently, the lightsource 198 is controlled by the control section 212, and a dot code isread by the image processing section 460 (step S208). The code isdecoded by the data processing section 462 (step S210), and it ischecked whether the entire code is processed, i.e., the entire code isread (step S212). If the entire code is read, a sound for informing itis generated (step S214). The control section 212 then determines fromthe decoding result whether the read code is one of the index codes 506or the sound information (color multiplex dot code 502) (step S216). Ifthe index code 506 is determined, the color indicated by the index code506 is selected (step S218), and the flow returns to step S204 describedabove. If the code is the sound information, the data output section 464causes the speech output device 268 to reproduce the sound (step S220).

After sound reproduction in step S220 described above, it is furtherdetermined whether the sound is repeatedly generated a predeterminednumber of times (step S222). If the number of times is preset by arepeat switch 467, the sound is repeatedly reproduced the predeterminednumber of times.

As is apparent, the number of times of repetition may be one and may bearbitrarily set by various switches or the like. Alternatively, thepredetermined number of times may be recorded on the index codes 506 orthe dot code 502 in advance.

A repetitive reproducing operation in this case can be performed byrepeatedly reading out information from the data memory section 234 inFIG. 17 or 23.

Note that the image pickup section 204 includes a monochrome imagepickup element and a color image pickup element generally obtained bymounting a color mosaic filter on an image pickup element section. Inthe above case, a monochrome image pickup section is used. However,reproduction can be performed in different colors by separating colorsin the image processing section 460 using a color image pickup element.In this case, the color liquid crystal 498 can be omitted.

FIG. 65 shows the arrangement of the image memory section of an imageprocessing section 460 in a case wherein a color image pickup element isused. More specifically, a signal input from the color image pickupelement is separated into data of the respective colors by a colorseparation circuit 508, and the data are respectively stored in memories510A, 510B, and 510C. The data is then selected by a multiplexer (MPX)512, and subsequent processing is performed.

Consider a second polarizing filter 472 of first and second polarizingfilters 470 and 472 for preventing specular reflection. Since the samepolarizing filter as the second polarizing filter 472 is used for thepolarizer portion of a color liquid crystal 498, the polarizer portioncan also serve as the second polarizing filter 472. Therefore, combiningthe first polarizing filter with the polarizing filter of the colorliquid crystal 498, the second polarizing filter 472 can be omitted. Inthis case, however, the angle of this color liquid crystal on thehorizontal plane must be rotated to cut components having the samearrangement as a direction corresponding to the second polarizing filter472, i.e., components in the same direction as that thereof.

As shown in FIG. 66A, even if the color liquid crystal 498 is omitted,and R, G, and B light sources constituted by LEDs like those shown inFIG. 66B are used as a light source 198 instead of a white light source,the color multiplex dot code 502 can be read. More specifically, whenthe above code 1 corresponding to red is to be used, only the LEDscorresponding to red, of the RGB light source 198, are turned on. Whencode 2 is to be read, only the LEDs corresponding to green are turnedon. When code 3 is to be read, only the LEDs corresponding to blue areturned on. With this operation, a reproducing operation is performed.

In addition, instead of using R, G, and B LEDs, a white light sourcehaving color filters added to the respective portions may be used as alight source for the respective colors.

The same effects as those obtained by the arrangement shown in FIG. 62can be obtained by using R, G, and B light sources as the light source198, and controlling the ON/OFF operations of light sources of a colorselected by the index code 506. In addition, if the apparatus includeslight sources for emitting light having wavelengths in a plurality ofnarrow bands, a color liquid crystal and its control circuit need not beused, and the apparatus can be reduced in cost and size. Especially,some LEDs emit light having wavelengths in narrow bands, e.g.,wavelengths of about ±27 nm. If such LEDs are used, reproduction withnarrower bands can be realized.

A pen type information reproducing apparatus for stealth type dot codeswill be described next.

FIG. 67A shows a dot data seal 516 with a title on which an infraredemission paint dot code 514 as a stealth type dot code is printed. Thisdot data seal 516 is obtained by printing, for example, a title inordinary color or monochrome print by a printing machine or a printer,and printing a dot code below the title by using an invisible paint. Asis apparent, since the dot code 514 of the dot data seal 516 isinvisible print, i.e., transparent print, the dot code 514 may beprinted on the title as the visible information by using a transparentink, as shown in FIG. 67B. If, for example, an ink-jet printer or thelike is used, this print can be realized by using four inks, i.e., cyan,magenta, yellow, and black inks, and an infrared emission ink as thefifth ink, and printing and superposing them.

FIG. 67A shows a case wherein the title is printed on a marginal portionof the stealth dot code. As is apparent, a visible dot code may beprinted on the dot data seal with the title, and a title may be printedon a marginal portion.

For example, as shown in FIG. 68, the pen type information reproducingapparatus for reproducing the infrared emission paint dot code 514 assuch a stealth type dot code uses an infrared-emitting element 518 as alight source 198 because the dot code 514 is printed in an infraredemission paint, and has an infrared bandpass optical filter 520 arrangedin front of an image pickup section 204.

More specifically, when light in the infrared region is irradiated fromthe infrared-emitting element 518 onto the dot code 514, light having awavelength in the infrared region, i.e., a given narrow band, isreflected. In order to detect the intensity of the reflected light inthe image pickup section 204, visible light information is separatedthrough the infrared bandpass optical filter 520 and the reflected lightis guided the image pickup section 204.

Note that a plurality of paints for different emission bands used toprint the dot code 514 can be prepared. If, for example, an imagingoperation is performed while the characteristics of the bandpass opticalfilter 520 are gradually changed, this transparent print can also bemultiplexed.

Instead of incorporating all the functions of a reproducing system in apen type information reproducing apparatus, ROM cards are generally usedto add various optional functions to various devices, e.g., anelectronic notebook, a PDA, a wordprocessor, a personal computer, acopying machine, a printer, and an electronic projector. A case will bedescribed wherein the above functions are partly allocated to a cardtype adaptor which can be connected to a ROM card connector.

FIG. 69 shows a case wherein a pen type information reproducingapparatus incorporates up to an image processing section 460, and anoutput from the image processing section 460 is supplied to a card typeadaptor 524 via an output connector 522. In this case, the card typeadaptor 524 has a data processing section 462, a data output section464, a signal processing section 526 including D/A conversion, and anaudio connection terminal 528. Reproduced audio information can beoutput, as a sound, from a speech output device 268, and multimediainformation such as reproduced image information can be supplied to anexternal device 532 such as an electronic notebook via an I/F 530.

More specifically, the card type adaptor 524 is connected to the ROMcard connection terminal (not shown) of the external device 532 such asan electronic notebook which does not have a speech output mechanismsuch as a loudspeaker so as to receive multimedia, e.g., a dot codedimage, from such a device which cannot perform a speech outputoperation. At the same time, the speech output device 268 such as anearphone is connected to the audio connection terminal 528 of the cardtype adaptor 524 to allow the user to listen to dot coded speech.

As the external device 532, a video game apparatus which has recentlybeen popularized in the homes, may be assumed. FIGS. 70 and 71 show thearrangements of card type (cassette type in this case) adaptors 524 forsuch video game apparatuses. FIG. 70 shows a case wherein a pen typeinformation reproducing apparatus incorporates up to a data processingsection 462. FIG. 71 shows a case wherein a pen type informationreproducing apparatus incorporates only a detection section 184. A ROM534 serves to store control programs executed by a CPU (not shown)incorporated in a video game apparatus body. When the cassette isinserted, the control programs are loaded into the apparatus body. A RAM536 is used to store a processing result obtained by the data processingsection 462. A memory control section 538 controls the ROM 534 and theRAM 536 in accordance with instructions from the CPU in the video gameapparatus body.

In general, a video game apparatus incorporates a high-performance CPU.Therefore, processing can be performed at a higher speed by causing theCPU in the video game apparatus body to perform part of the processingthan by performing all the processing in the pen type informationreproducing apparatus. In addition, since the operating section of thevideo game apparatus can be used as an input section for various controloperations, a read start designating switch such as a touch sensor andthe like need not be arranged on the pen type information reproducingapparatus. Therefore, a reduction in the size of the apparatus can berealized. In this case, a control program for processing assigned to theCPU in the video game apparatus body or a control program for allowingthe CPU in the apparatus body and the operating section of the videogame apparatus to control the pen type information reproducing apparatusand a user interface function for operation is stored in the ROM 534. Inaddition, since a loudspeaker, an audio output terminal, a monitoroutput terminal, and the like are arranged in the video game apparatus,these components can be omitted from the pen type informationreproducing apparatus and the card type adaptor. Therefore, a reductionin cost can be realized.

An operation switch in the use of the card type adaptor 524 will bedescribed next.

An electronic notebook as the external device 532 generally has a slitto allow a card called a ROM card or an IC card to be mounted therein.When a card type adaptor is inserted/mounted in the slit, characters orsymbols written on a surface of the card type adaptor are seen through atransparent touch panel 560 of the electronic notebook. When a characteror symbol written on the cad type adaptor is touched, a correspondingfunction is activated. For example, some card type adaptor allows adisplay operation on a display 562.

In the case of the card type adaptor 524 for such an electronicnotebook, as shown in FIG. 72, instead of arranging switches for thecontrol system of a pen type information reproducing apparatus 564,e.g., an operation switch for turning on/off the light source 198,characters or symbols representing these switches are written atpredetermined positions on a surface of the adaptor.

In addition, since a keyboard is incorporated in the external device 532such as a personal computer or a wordprocessor, when the pen typeinformation reproducing apparatus is connected to such a device, controlcan be performed on the device side without arranging control systemswitches in the card type adaptor 524.

In the case of the external device 532 such as a printer, which hasdedicated control switches for its own operation but has no othercontrol system switches, control system switches must be arranged on thecard type adaptor 524. For example, as shown in FIG. 73, the card typeadaptor 524 is elongated to be longer than a general card, and necessaryswitches 566 are arranged on a portion, of the card type adaptor 524,which protrudes from the device 532 when the adaptor is inserted in thedevice. In this case, as the switches 566, tact switches, a touch panel,or the like can be used.

An apparatus for printing a dot code will be described next.

A reel seal printing machine 572 for printing on a reel seal a dot codeconverted by a multimedia information recording apparatus 570 from dataedited by a personal computer, a wordprocessor, or the like 568, asshown in FIG. 74, will be described.

FIG. 75 shows the internal arrangement of this reel seal printingmachine.

A dot code from the multimedia information recording apparatus 570 istemporarily stored in a memory 574, and LED arrays 578 and 580 areturned on by an LED driver 576 in accordance with the dot pattern. Lightfrom these LEDs is guided onto a photosensitive sheet extending from aphotosensitive paper reel 584 via rod lenses 582 arranged in contactwith the respective pixels. The timing of emission is managed by a CPU588 in accordance with the speed and position of the photosensitivesheet which are detected by a sensor 586. Similarly, the feed speed ofthe photosensitive sheet is controlled by controlling a driver 594 for amotor for driving a roller 590 on the output stage.

In order to protect the printed dot code, a surface coat seal 596 isadded by the output stage, so that the photosensitive sheet and thesurface coat seal are simultaneously output in a bonded state. In thiscase, as a photosensitive sheet, printing paper, a film, or the like canbe used. In this case, a photosensitive sheet is provided with its lowersurface having adhesion properties.

If an ordinary film or the like is used as a photosensitive sheet, twotypes of dot codes may be multiplexed by using a red LED array as theLED array 578 and a yellow LED array as the LED 580, as shown in FIG.75. In performing a multiplexing operation, a dot code having two colorsmay be formed by shifting the positions of two types of LEDs from eachother. Alternatively, two types of LEDs may be turned on at the sameposition to form different colors so as to perform further multiplexing.

With the use of a photosensitive sheet, the reel seal printing machine572 is characterized in that not only a high resolution but also a lowcost can be realized. In addition, since the arrangement of the exposureportion uses compact LED arrays without requiring expensive processingsuch as scanning with a laser or the like, the cost of the apparatus canbe greatly reduced. Furthermore, in this printing machine 572, since acontact type optical path is arranged, high positioning precisions for,e.g., the angles of mirrors are not required, and problems in themanufacture can be avoided, unlike an apparatus using a laser or thelike.

For the sake of illustrative convenience, FIG. 75 shows the LED arrays578 and 580 and the rod lenses 582 arranged along the travelingdirection of a photosensitive sheet. In practice, however, thesecomponents are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the drawingsurface, i.e., the widthwise direction of a photosensitive sheet. As isapparent, such components may be arranged in the widthwise direction aswell to form a two-dimensional array so as to form a large number of dotcodes at once.

In the above reel seal printing machine 572, a photosensitive sheet onwhich a dot code is printed is output from the roller 590 in the formshown in FIG. 74. In this case, a white blank portion is preferably setat the boundary between the current data and the next data to allow theuser to visually recognize a portion for which a cutting process using acutter or the like is to be performed. In addition, the length of a codewhich can be stuck varies depending on the size of a sheet on which areel seal is to be stuck, i.e., whether the size of a sheet is A4 or B4.Accordingly, the printing machine may be designed to variably change thelength of a dot code which can be printed. In such a case, for example,the following control method is employed. For example, in accordancewith a manually set sheet size, the timing at which a dot pattern in thedot pattern memory 574 is read out is controlled to adaptively changethe length of a dot code.

FIG. 76 shows the arrangement of a wordprocessor incorporating afunction of recording a multimedia dot code.

This arrangement is the same as that of a general wordprocessor exceptfor a multimedia information recording processing section 598 forgenerating a dot code with respect to data edited on sentences. Morespecifically, the following components are connected to a bus 602extending from a CPU 600: various ROMs 604 for programs, a charactergenerator, and the like; a RAM 606 as a work area; a calendar 608; a buscontrol 610; a CRT control 616 for displaying data, developed in a videoRAM 612, on a CRT 614; an I/O control 620 for a keyboard 618; a diskcontrol 624 for controlling an FDD 622; a printer control 628 forcontrolling a printer 626; various I/Fs 630; and the like.

The multimedia information recording processing section 598 is designedto exclusively access the bus 602. The contents of the multimediainformation recording processing section 598 are basically the same asthose of the multimedia information recording apparatus 570 shown inFIG. 74. That is, data supplied from the bus 602 via a bidirectional I/O632 is separated into character, graph, and picture data by a separationcircuit 634, and the respective data are properly compressed bycompression circuits 636 and 638 and synthesized by a synthesis circuit640. Meanwhile, character, picture, and graph layout information isdirectly input to the synthesis circuit 640. An error correction code isadded to this synthetic data by an error correction code additioncircuit 642, and processing such as interleave processing of the data isperformed in a memory 644. Block addresses and the like are added to thedata by an address addition circuit 646. The data is then modulated by amodulation circuit 648. Thereafter, markers are added to the data by amarker addition circuit 650, and a title and the like for the dot codeare synthesized with the data by an edit/synthesis circuit 652. The sizeof the dot pattern is changed by a dot pattern shape conversion circuit654. The resultant data is then returned to the bus 602 via thebidirectional I/O 632.

The printer control 628 controls the printer 626 in accordance with thedata returned to the bus 602 to obtain a printout like the one denotedby reference numeral 656 in FIG. 76.

As shown in FIG. 76, the printout 656 is basically designed such that apicture 660 and a graph 662 are added to sentences 658 written (typed)at a wordprocessor, and the contents of the sentences 658, the picture660, and the graph 662 are printed as a dot code 664 at a predeterminedposition, e.g., a lower position.

With this printout 656, the user who receives the printout 656 directlyor in facsimile can load the document 658, the picture 660, and thegraph 662 into the user's wordprocessor by reading the dot code 664 withthe above pen type information reproducing apparatus, and canarbitrarily edit these data.

The multimedia information recording processing section 598 may berealized by software processing performed by the CPU 600.

In addition, the multimedia information recording processing section 598may be incorporated in the printer 626 instead of being mounted in thewordprocessor. That is, the printer 626 may perform recording/modulationof input information such as font and graph information to perform aprinting operation. In this case, the multimedia information recordingprocessing section 598 may not be incorporated in the printer 626 butmay be provided as a card type adaptor.

When the contents of a printout are to be transmitted in facsimile,since the resolution or definition of a facsimile is also specified asGII or GIII, the dot pattern shape conversion circuit 654 in themultimedia information recording processing section 598 may performconversion in accordance with such a resolution, i.e., change the sizeof the data, as well as conversion in accordance with the resolution ofthe printer 626.

FIG. 77 shows an arrangement for a case wherein the function of amultimedia information recording processing section is incorporated inan optical copying machine 666, so that when a copying operation isperformed, the contents of an original are copied onto a sheet, and atthe same time a dot code corresponding to the contents is printed at apredetermined position on the sheet.

That is, similar to a general copying machine, the optical copyingmachine 666 includes an original table 668, a lamp 670, mirrors 672, alens 674, a photosensitive drum 676, and the like and serves to copy animage on an original onto a sheet.

Furthermore, in the optical copying machine 666 of this embodiment, ahalf prism 678 is inserted in the optical path in front of the lens 674to split light, and a split light beam is guided to an image pickupelement 682 such as a line sensor via an optical part 680. A signal fromthe image pickup element 682 is amplified by an amplifier 684 andundergoes various analog processes. Thereafter, the resultant data isconverted into digital data by an A/D converter 686 and recorded in amemory 688. Image area determination, data character recognition, andthe like are performed with respect to the data recorded on the memory688 by an image area determination and data character recognitioncircuit 690. In this case, image area determination can be performed byusing the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No.5-163635 filed by the present applicant.

The data having undergone image area determination, data characterrecognition, and the like is compressed by a compression circuit 692. Inthis case, since character data, picture data, graph data, and the likerequire different compression schemes, the respective data arecompressed according to the corresponding compression schemes.Thereafter, the resultant data and layout information are synthesized bya data synthesis circuit 694. After an error correction code is added tothe synthetic data by an error correction code addition circuit 696, andthe resultant data is stored in a memory 698, and processing such asinterleave processing is performed again. Addresses are added to thedata by an address addition circuit 700, and the resultant data ismodulated by a modulation circuit 702. Markers are then added to thedata by a marker addition circuit 704. The dot pattern form is convertedby a dot pattern shape conversion circuit 706. A light-emitting elementdriver 708 causes a light-emitting element 710 to emit light inaccordance with the dot pattern. At the same time, a mirror shutter 712is raised to guide the light from the light-emitting element 710 to thelens 674 and the photosensitive drum 676.

In addition, as described above, when the data is to be transmitted infacsimile, a facsimile resolution is selected by a facsimile resolutionselection section 714, and the shape of the dot code pattern is changedby the dot pattern shape conversion circuit 706 in accordance with theselected resolution.

In the image area determination and data character recognition circuit690, a character may be handled as a binary image, and general binaryimage compression processing such as MR or MH may be performed.Alternatively, character recognition may be performed to convert acharacter into a code such as an ASCII code, which is used in a generalwordprocessor, and the code may be compressed by a compression schemesuch as Lempel-Ziv coding. If compression is performed in this mannerafter character recognition and ASCII code conversion, the compressionratio considerably increases, and a larger amount of data can berecorded with fewer dot codes accordingly.

Owing to the processing speed of the signal processing system, inprinting a dot code, an original image is written/exposed first onto thephotosensitive drum 676, and the mirror shutter 712 is then raised tocause the light-emitting element 710 to rewrite and print the dot codeon the drum. Alternatively, a dot code may be generated by the firstoriginal scan as the pre-scan, and an original image and the dot codemay be written on the photosensitive drum 676 by the second originalscan. As the processing speed of the signal processing system increasesin the future, processing need not be performed a plurality of number oftimes in this manner. If, however, an original is placed sideways on theoriginal table 668 or placed upside down, processing must be performed aplurality of number of times to obtain a copying result having a dotcode printed at a lower position on a sheet in the longitudinaldirection, as indicated by reference numeral 656.

FIG. 78 shows an arrangement for a case wherein the present invention isapplied to a digital copying machine 716. The same reference numerals inFIG. 78 denote parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 77. Inthis arrangement, an optical mirror is designed to be moved in the inputsection. However, a line sensor may be moved to read an original.

More specifically, in this digital copying machine 716, a dot code whoseshape has been changed by a dot pattern shape conversion circuit 706 inthe above manner is synthesized with original image data loaded in amemory 688 by an edit/synthesis circuit 718, and the resultant data isprinted out by a printer 720. Since such a digital copying machine hasthe memory 688, a dot code can be printed at any position on a sheet byone scan operation instead of performing processing a plurality ofnumber of times as described above.

The flow indicated by the broken lines in FIG. 78 will be describednext. This flow indicates that only a dot code is read from an originalon which the dot code is printed together with sentences and a picture,and a document as a combination form of the dot code and the sentencesand the picture reproduced from the dot code is printed out, instead ofgenerating a dot code by reading an original in the above manner.

More specifically, a dot code is read from an original by an imagepickup element 682 and recorded in the memory 688 upon A/D conversion.The output from an A/D converter 686 is also input to a dot codereproducing unit 722. The dot code reproducing unit 722 includes, forexample, the circuit arrangement after the scan conversion section 186in FIG. 17, and can reproduce sentences, a picture, and a graph from adot code. An image of the dot code stored in the memory 688 is suppliedto the dot pattern shape conversion circuit 706 without anymodification. After the size of the dot code is changed, the dot code isinput to the edit/synthesis circuit 718. The edit/synthesis circuit 718adds the dot code, supplied from the dot pattern shape conversioncircuit 706, to the sentences, the picture, the graph, and the likereproduced by the dot code reproducing unit 722. The resultant data isinput to a printer 720 to be printed out.

With this operation, since the time required to scan the original is thetime required to read this code portion, the processing time can beshortened. In addition, when sentences, a picture, a graph, and the likeare enlarged or reduced, a dot code can be printed without changing itssize regardless of the enlargement/reduction processing.

FIG. 79 shows a case wherein a pen type information reproducingapparatus is also used as an input section for data such as characterand picture data.

More specifically, a signal from an image processing section 460 of thepen type information reproducing apparatus is input to a multimediainformation recording apparatus 724. In the multimedia informationrecording apparatus 724, the input data, i.e., the imaged data, is inputto a frame memory 728A or 728B via a selector 726. In this case, theselector 726 performs selection such that one frame is loaded in theframe memory 728A, and the next one frame is loaded in the frame memory728B. The image data loaded in the frame memories 728A and 728B undergoremoval of lens distortions such as aberrations at peripheral portionsin distortion correction circuits 730A and 730B. Thereafter, the dataare input to an offset amount detector 732. The offset amount detector732 calculates a correlation between images respectively loaded in theframe memories 728A and 728B to calculate the direction and amount of anoffset therebetween, thereby allowing overlapping portions of the twoimages to be superposed on each other as a picture when the two imageare synthesized with each other. As this offset amount detector 732, thedetector disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Application No. 5-63978 or5-42402 filed by the present applicant may be used. One image, i.e., theimage loaded in the frame memory 728B, is interpolated by aninterpolation processing circuit 734 in accordance with the detectedoffset amount and enhanced by an enhancer 736. Thereafter, the image issynthesized with the image loaded in the other frame memory 728B by animage synthesis circuit 738. The resultant data is stored in an imagesynthesis memory 740.

The next one frame is loaded in the frame memory 728A, and the sameprocessing as described above is performed. The image loaded in theframe memory 728A is then interpolated.

Subsequently, these operations are alternately performed to obtain alarge frame.

The pen type information reproducing apparatus is essentially designedto read a small code like a dot code. Therefore, the imaging area of theapparatus is very small. When the apparatus having such a small imagingarea is to be used as a scanner for reading images of characters and apicture, the image must be loaded by a plurality of number of times, andthe read images must be pasted to each other. For this reason, in thisembodiment, a plurality of frame memories are arranged, and offsetmounts are detected, and images are pasted to each other upon correctionof the offsets.

The data recorded on the synthetic image memory 740 undergoes image areadetermination in an image area determination circuit 742. Of the data,character data is subjected first to character recognition in acharacter recognizing circuit 744 and then input to the multimediainformation recording processing section 598, and image data is directlyinput thereto. The data undergoes processing such as compression in themultimedia information recording processing section 598 and is convertedinto a dot code. The dot code is introduced to the reel seal printingmachine 572 described above. Alternatively, the data may be input to anexternal device 532 such as a personal computer or a wordprocessor viaan I/F 746 instead of being input to the multimedia informationrecording processing section 598.

Note that the pen type information reproducing apparatus may have twoterminals as output terminals, i.e., an earphone terminal and a terminalfor outputting an image, or may be designed such that one connector ismanually switched between a sound output system and an image outputsystem.

FIG. 80 shows a modification of the apparatus shown in FIG. 79. FIG. 79shows the case wherein the area of the image pickup section 204 in a dotcode read operation is the same as the imaging area of the image pickupsection 204 when it is used as a scanner. In this embodiment, however,the image formation optical system 200 is changed such that a wide-anglemode is set when the image pickup section 204 is used as a scanner,while a macroscopic imaging operation is performed when a dot code is tobe read.

More specifically, the image formation optical system 200 is constitutedby a zoom or bifocal lens group used in a general camera, and designedto switch between the wide-angle mode and the macroscopic mode bysliding a lens barrel 748. The image formation optical system 200 has ascanner switch 750 which is turned on upon closing of a contact pointwhen the lens barrel is contracted. While the scanner switch 750 is on,the control section 212 stops the operations of the data processingsection 462 and the data output section 464 to allow the image pickupsection 204 to be used as a scanner. While the scanner switch 750 isoff, the control section 212 operates these components to allow theimage pickup section 204 to perform a macroscopic operation.

When the image formation optical system 200 is set in the wide-anglemode, the imaging area is decompressed. If the focal depth is ±120 μmand the image magnification is 0.08 at this time, the depth of field is±19 mm. Even if a shake of the apparatus occurs in the longitudinaldirection, no problem is posed with this depth of field.

In addition to the scheme of sliding the lens barrel 748 to switchbetween the wide-angle mode and the macroscopic mode, this modificationcan be realized by using a scheme of interchanging lenses, i.e.,mounting a lens for the macroscopic mode in place of a lens for thewide-angle mode.

FIG. 81 shows a case wherein a card type adaptor 524 incorporates twoprocessing sections: a data processing section for output informationcorresponding to a dot code, read by the pen type informationreproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 69, to an external device 532 suchas a personal computer or a wordprocessor; and a data processing sectionfor sticking images and generating a dot code when the pen typeinformation reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 79 is used as a scannerfor sentences, pictures, and images. That is, FIG. 81 shows the cardtype adaptor 524 incorporating the data processing section for thescanner and the data processing section for a dot code read operation.

Referring to FIG. 81, selectors 752 and 754 serve to switch between thedata processing section for the scanner and the data processing sectionfor a dot code read operation. This switching/selecting operation may bemanually performed, or may be interlocked with the ON/OFF operation of ascanner switch 750 like the one shown in FIG. 80. Alternatively, thisoperation may be directly performed from the external device 532 side.

An image synthesis processing circuit 756 has the functions of theselector 726, the frame memories 728A and 728B, the distortioncorrection circuits 730A and 730B, the offset amount detector 732, theinterpolation processing circuit 734, the enhancer 736, and the imagesynthesis circuit 738 shown in FIG. 79. An output processing circuit 758serves to match data (to be output) with the format of the externaldevice 532.

An embodiment in which the information of a read dot code is output toan electronic projector will be described next. As shown in FIGS. 82Aand 82B, a dot code is scanned by a pen type information reproducingapparatus 760, and the original information is restored by an outputprocessing section 762. The information is then input to the RGB inputterminal of a projector 764 or the video input terminal of an electronicOHP 766, thereby projecting the information on a screen 768.

In this case, the pen type information reproducing apparatus 760incorporates the arrangement from the detection section 184 to the errorcorrection section 194 in the arrangement of the reproducing systemshown in FIG. 17 or 23. The output processing section 762 incorporatesthe arrangement after the data separation section 196 and otherprocessing circuits.

FIG. 83 shows the actual arrangement of the output processing section762. More specifically, multimedia information from the pen typeinformation reproducing apparatus 760 is separated into imageinformation, graph information, character information, speechinformation, and header information by the data separation section 196.The image information, graph information, and character information aredecompressed by the decompression processing sections 238, 242, and 248.Thereafter, the image information and the graph information undergointerpolation processing in the data interpolation circuits 240 and 244.The character information undergoes PDL processing in the PDL processingsection 246. The image information, the graph information, and thecharacter information having undergone interpolation and PDL processingare synthesized by a synthesis circuit 250, and the resultant data isstored in a memory 770. The data stored in this memory 770 is data whichcan be projected on the screen 768. This data is D/A-converted by theD/A conversion section 252 and output to the projector 764 or theelectronic OHP 766. In this case, the memory 770 is controlled by anaddress control section 772. Meanwhile, the speech information isdirectly decompressed by the decompression processing section 256 andinterpolated by the data interpolation circuit 258. The resultant datais D/A-converted by the D/A conversion section 266 and output to aloudspeaker 776 incorporated in or provided out of the projector 764 orthe electronic OHP 766 via a selector 774.

The data as a speech synthetic code is converted into speech by thespeech synthesis section 260 and input to the D/A conversion section266.

Assume that sentences are directly read during a presentation, asneeded. In this case, sentences are recognized from a character code fordisplay by a sentence recognition section 271, and the sentences areconverted into speech by the speech synthesis section 260. Finally, thespeech is output from the loudspeaker 776.

In this case, since any special speech synthetic code for recitationneed not be recorded, a larger amount of information can be set in a dotcode.

Furthermore, in this case, a projector selecting means 778 is arrangedto select the projector 764 for the high-definition television scheme oronly the NTSC scheme, thereby allowing connection of any type ofelectronic projector system. That is, the manner of assigning charactersizes in the memory 770 and the like change depending on an electronicprojector system as an output system. For this reason, the processing inthe data interpolation circuits 240 and 244 and the PDL processingsection 246 is changed, or a clock signal CK supplied to the addresscontrol section 772 or the D/A conversion section 252 is changed by areference clock selection section 780 depending on selection by theselecting means 778.

In addition, in the operated state of an electronic projector such asthe projector 764 or the electronic OHP 766, for example, as shown inFIG. 83, the user may want to perform a selective projecting operation,e.g., projecting only sentences, a picture, or a graph. In such a case,the user can select an operation through an output control section 782.Alternatively, information designating projection of only sentences, apicture, or a graph is written, as header information, in a dot code inadvance, and the user can select a portion to be output in accordancewith the header information through the output control section 782. Anoutput editor section 784 performs a cutting operation of projecting aspecific portion in accordance with selection by the output controlsection 782, and causes the address control section 772 to access thecorresponding portion in the memory 770, thereby causing the memory 770to output data for projection. In addition to such area divisionprocessing, the output editor section 784 can perform decompressionprocessing of part of the sentences or only the picture, and editprocessing of focusing some of the sentences or only the picture portionand decompressing the focused part. In order to perform such processing,an input section and a display section are preferably arranged in theoutput processing section 762 to perform processing such as graphicaluser interface, thereby allowing the user to actually designate aportion to be decompressed.

Speech is input as a dot code and output from the D/A conversion section266. In addition, speech from an external microphone 786 can be selectedby the selector 774.

Note that only the detection section 184 may be arranged in the pen typeinformation reproducing apparatus 760, and the scan conversion section186 and the subsequent components may be arranged in the outputprocessing section 762. In contrast to this, the pen type informationreproducing apparatus 760 may incorporate components up to the dataseparation section 196 so that separated data can be sent in some formto the output processing section 762. In practice, the size of the pentype information reproducing apparatus 760 is preferably minimized inconsideration of the fact that the apparatus is held with a hand of theuser. It is, therefore, preferable that only the detection section 184be arranged in the apparatus, and subsequent processing be performed bythe output processing section 762.

FIG. 84 shows a case wherein data is output to a copying machine 788, amagnetooptical disk drive (MO) 790, and a printer 792 instead of theabove electronic projector. An output processing section isincorporated, as hardware or software, in a personal computer or thelike 794. FIG. 84 shows a state wherein an output from the outputprocessing section is supplied to the copying machine 788, the MO 790,and the printer 792 online or offline using a floppy disk 796 or thelike. FIG. 85 shows a case wherein the output processing section isdesigned as a card type adaptor 800 to be mounted in the printer 792 oran electronic notebook 798.

FIG. 86 shows the actual arrangement of the output processing section762 in this case.

Similar to the embodiment of the projector described above, multimediainformation is input and separated into image information, graphinformation, and character information by the separation section 196.These pieces of information are respectively decompressed by thedecompression processing sections 238, 242, and 248. The imageinformation and the graph information are interpolated by the datainterpolation circuits 240 and 244. The character information issubjected to PDL processing in the PDL processing section 246. Thepieces of information are then synthesized by the synthesis circuit 250and stored in the memory 770. The memory 770 is controlled by theaddress control section 772. The readout data is output to an editmonitor 804 via an interpolation section 802 and the D/A conversionsection 252 to check data to be actually output. Note that this editmonitor 804 may be omitted.

The data read out from the memory 770 is also input to a synthesissection 806. A coding section 808 converts the multimedia informationfrom the pen type information reproducing apparatus 760 into a dot codeagain, an output adaptive interpolation section 810 performs outputinterpolation of the dot code in accordance with the resolution of theprinter 792 or the like, to which the dot code is to be output, and thissynthesis section 806 synthesizes the resultant data with the data fromthe memory 770. That is, the synthesis section 806 adds a dot code tosentences and a picture and outputs the resultant data to the printer792 or the copying machine 788 via an I/F 812.

When information is to be output from the printer 792, an outputselecting means 814 automatically set a resolution upon recognition ofthe type of the printer 792 connected to the output section 762. Wheninformation is to be transmitted offline using the floppy disk 796 orthe like, since the type of a printer cannot be recognized, theresolution is set manually.

In this arrangement, sentences are directly copied or printed, whereas adot code can be output in accordance with the resolution of a medium towhich the dot code is to be output.

When the output section is to be connected to the electronic notebook798, since no dot code input to the electronic notebook 798, no systemfor recording a dot code is required. The arrangement is almost the sameas that shown in FIG. 69.

FIG. 87 shows an embodiment including a format conversion section 816for converting the format of data in accordance with each apparatus typeso as to cope with the current situation that different types ofwordprocessors employ different data formats. The format conversionsection 816 has wordprocessor select switches as apparatus typeselecting means 818. The format conversion section 816 reads a dot codethrough a pen type information reproducing apparatus 760, converts thedata in accordance with selection by the apparatus type selecting means818, and inputs the resultant data to a wordprocessor 820.

FIG. 88 shows the actual arrangement of the format conversion section816. That is, after data are respectively processed by datainterpolation circuits 240, 244, and 258, a PDL processing section 246,and a speech synthesis section 260, the formats of the respective dataare converted by format conversion circuits 822, 824, 826, and 828 inaccordance with selection by the apparatus type selecting means 818.

FIG. 89 shows a system for transmitting/receiving a sheet (to bereferred to as multimedia paper hereinafter), on which a dot code isrecorded, in facsimile. In this system, a dot code generated by amultimedia information recording unit 830 for facsimile is printed outby a printer 792 and transmitted from a transmission-side facsimile 832to a reception-side facsimile 834 via a telephone line 836. Thereception-side facsimile 834 receives this information, restores it tothe information on the sheet, and reproduces the dot code by using a pentype information reproducing apparatus 838.

As shown in FIG. 90, the multimedia information recording unit 830 forfascimile is constituted by a multimedia information recording unit 840,a dot pattern shape conversion circuit 842, a facsimile selecting means844, and a synthesis/edit circuit 846. The multimedia informationrecording unit 840 includes components up to the marker addition section162 in the arrangement of the recording system shown in FIG. 15. Thesynthesis/edit circuit 846 corresponds to the synthesis/edit processingsection 164. The dot pattern shape conversion circuit 842 and thefacsimile selecting means 844 correspond to the dot pattern shapeconversion circuit 706 and the facsimile resolution selection section714 in FIGS. 77 and 78.

In this case, when line connection is performed by the transmission-sidefacsimile 832 with respect to the reception-side facsimile 834 via thetelephone line 836, data indicating a terminated state is sent from thereception-side facsimile 834 to the transmission-side facsimile 832.This data is supplied to the facsimile selecting means 844 manually ordirectly to select a facsimile resolution or resolving power. The dotpattern shape conversion circuit 842 then changes the shape of thepattern itself in accordance with the size of the dot code pattern orthe amount of data which can be written on one line. The resultant datais synthesized with the information on the sheet by the synthesis/editcircuit 846, and the synthetic data is printed out by the printer 792,thereby printing multimedia paper to be transmitted in facsimile.

FIG. 91 shows a facsimile-incorporated multimedia information recordingunit 848 in which all the above processing is automated, and even thefacsimile transmission/reception means is incorporated.

In this case, resolving power information on a facsimile of the otherparty is checked upon line connection via a telephone line 836, theshape of a dot pattern is optimized by using the information, and thedot pattern is synthesized with information on the sheet to betransmitted.

FIG. 92 shows the arrangement of an overwrite type MMP cardrecording/reproducing apparatus for recording/reproducing cards (to bereferred to as multimedia paper (MMP) cards hereinafter) on which dotcodes are printed, as shown in FIGS. 93A and 93B.

In this recording/reproducing apparatus 850, an MMP card 852 insertedinto a card insertion slit (not shown) is conveyed to a dot codedetection section 856 by a card conveyance roller section 854; a dotcode written on the lower surface of the MMP card 852 is read; the readinformation is converted into the original multimedia information by adata code reproducing section 858; and the resultant data is output toan I/F or a data separation section (not shown). That is, the dot codedetection section 856 corresponds to the detection section 184 in thearrangement shown in FIG. 17 or 23, and the data code reproducingsection 858 has the circuit arrangement including components from thescan conversion section 186 to the error correction section 194. Notethat the dot code detection section 856 includes image pickup sectionsfor the upper and lower surfaces of a card. Of these image pickupsections, the one corresponding to the lower surface of the card is usedas the image pickup section 204 in the detection section 184. Inaddition, in this case, the MMP card 852 has a dot code recording area852A on its lower surface, as shown in FIG. 93A. Images such as a title,a name, and a picture are recorded on the upper surface of the card.

This recording/reproducing apparatus 850 receives information other thanthe information already written on the card from, e.g., an externalpersonal computer or memory unit via an I/F 860. Information to bewritten, as a dot code, on the lower surface of the card is supplied toa data synthesis/edit section 862 and synthesized with informationreproduced by a data code reproducing section 862. If, for example, newinformation different from past information is input from the I/F 860,the address is updated to the next address to be newly added to thedata. If data is to be partly changed, only the portion to be changed isreplaced, thereby performing synthesis/edit processing of the data. Theinformation having undergone synthesis/edit processing in this manner isinput to a code pattern generation section 864 and converted into a dotcode. The code pattern generation section 864 has an arrangement likethe one shown in FIG. 15. The code pattern generation section 864synthesizes and edits a generated dot code and data (to be printed)other than a code from the I/F 860, and supplies a printing section 866with the data to be printed. This printing section 866 also receivespicture pattern data on the upper surface of the MMP card 852 from thedot code detection section 856, and prints the data on the upper andlower surfaces of a card having no data printed thereon and fed from apaper feed cartridge 868. The new MMP card is then conveyed to a carddischarge slot (not shown) by a card conveyance roller section 870 to bedischarged. In printing data on the upper and lower surfaces of a cardin the printing section 866, data may be printed on one surface first,and data is then printed on the other surface after the card isreversed. Alternatively, data may be printed on the upper and lowersurfaces of a card at once.

On the other hand, an old card passes through the dot code detectionsection 856 and is coated with, e.g., a black paint-out ink by apaint-out roller 872. The card is then discharged with the recordingarea 852A being blacked out. As a result, the original card which hasbeen painted out can be returned to the user. Therefore, there is nopossibility that the old card is misused.

As described above, according to the overwrite type MMP cardrecording/reproducing apparatus 850 of this embodiment, when a card onwhich information has already been recorded to some extent is insertedin this recording/reproducing apparatus 850, the information is read andcombined with newly added information to issue a new card. It seems tothe user that an old card is discharged after data is added thereto.Since the old card is left, the card is returned to the user. Therefore,a card is replaced as if an overwrite operation were performed.

FIG. 94 shows another arrangement of the overwrite type MMP cardrecording/reproducing apparatus. This recording/reproducing apparatus874 is basically the same as the recording/reproducing apparatus 850shown in FIG. 92. The recording/reproducing apparatus 874, however, isan apparatus used when an old card need not be returned to the user.Therefore, in the recording/reproducing apparatus 874, a shredder 876for shredding an old card is arranged after the dot code detectionsection 856.

FIG. 95A shows still another arrangement of the overwrite type MMP cardrecording/reproducing apparatus. In this recording/reproducing apparatus878, the arrangement of an MMP card is different from that of the MMPcard 852 described above. More specifically, data is directly printed onthe base of the MMP card 852 itself. As shown in FIG. 96A, however, anMMP card 880 in this embodiment is designed such that a very thin sheet(film) 884 on which a dot code is recorded is stuck to a card base 882consisting of thick paper, a plastic material, or the like. That is, athin film-like sheet on which data is recorded as shown in FIG. 96B isstuck to the lower surface of the

In the recording/reproducing apparatus 878 using this an MMP card 880,data read by a dot code detection section 856 is synthesized with datafrom a personal computer or the like in the same manner as describedabove, and the resultant data is input, as a code pattern, to a printingsection 866. At this time, the printing section 866 does not print thedot pattern on the lower surface of the card but prints it on a coderecording sheet 888 from a paper feed cartridge 886, and newly sticksthe sheet to the card base 882. In this case, as shown in FIG. 95B, oneof the surfaces of the code recording sheet 888, which is not a printingsurface 890 of the code recording thin sheet 884 on which a code isactually printed, is an adhesive surface 892 on which a self-adhesivesuch as an adhesive is coated, and a protective sheet 894 is put on theadhesive surface 892. After a printing operation, the protective sheet894 is peeled off by a peeling bar 896 and wound up by a protectivesheet wind-up reel 898. The adhesive surface 892 of the code recordingthin sheet 884, from which the protective sheet 894 has been peeled off,is exposed and pressed against the card base 882 by a pressing rollersection 900 to be stuck thereto. The card is then discharged as adata-recorded card.

In this case, since the code recording thin sheet 884 is a very thinfilm-like member, the sheet may be stacked/stuck on the card base 882.However, if such thin sheets are stacked on each other, the thickness ofthe card increases to some extent, even though they are thin sheets. Forthis reason, an old code-pattern-recorded thin sheet peeling section 902is arranged midway along a card conveyance path extending from the dotcode detection section 856 to the pressing roller section 900 to peeloff an old code-recorded sheet. This peeled old code-recorded sheet maybe directly discharged or shredded by a shredder.

An additional information addition section 904 in FIG. 95 serves to add,for example, time information indicating a specific time at which datais recorded on an original card by this recording/reproducing apparatus878, or information identifying a specific terminal when therecording/reproducing apparatus 878 is used as a terminal connected to aservice center. With this information, the used recording/reproducingapparatus 878 can be identified, or the interval between recordingoperations can be known.

FIG. 97 shows still another arrangement of the overwrite type MMP cardrecording/reproducing apparatus. This recording/reproducing apparatus906 is basically the same as the recording/reproducing apparatus 850shown in FIG. 92. The recording/reproducing apparatus 906 paints out arecording surface in white instead of black to obtain a new printingsurface. For this purpose, a white paint-out ink cartridge 908 and awhite paint-out ink roller 910 are arranged after a dot code detectionsection 856.

With this arrangement, since the lower surface of an MMP card is paintedin white, new data is printed on the surface by a printing section 866.Although a paper feed cartridge 868 is arranged to issue a new card,this component may be omitted.

A direct-read-after-write type MMP card recording/reproducing apparatuswill be described next. The direct-read-after-write type apparatus is anapparatus for additionally writing new information without erasing oldinformation as long as a non-recorded area exists. In this case, allreproduction processing of a dot code need not be performed except for acase wherein data reproduction from a card is to be performed, i.e., ina recording operation, unlike the above overwrite type apparatus.

FIG. 98A shows the arrangement of a direct-read-after-write type MMPcard recording/reproducing apparatus 912. In a recording operation, adata code reproducing section 858 reproduces only the marker informationand address information of two-dimensional blocks, and a code patterngeneration section 864 generates block addresses corresponding to aportion to be subjected to direct-read-after-write processing. Adata-recorded area detection section 914 detects a data-recorded area ofthe card. A printing section 866 prints a pattern from the code patterngeneration section 864 on a non-recorded area (direct-read-after-writearea) of the card on the basis of the information from the data-recordedarea detection section 914.

As shown in FIG. 98B, the data-recorded area detection section 914 isconstituted by a data-recorded area detection section 916, a markerdetection section 918, a last portion marker coordinate calculationsection 920, and a direct-read-after-write start coordinate outputsection 922. That is, since the sizes of a marker and a block are known,the range of a data-recorded area in the code recording area can beautomatically detected by the data-recorded area detection section 916and the marker detection section 918. Therefore, direct-read-after-writestart coordinates are calculated by the last portion marker coordinatecalculation section 920, and the resultant data is output from thedirect-read-after-write start coordinate output section 922.

The data-recorded area detection section 914 may have an arrangementlike the one shown in FIG. 99. In this case, however, as shown in FIG.100, record markers 924 indicating the range of a data-recorded areamust be recorded on a marginal portion of a card.

In the data-recorded area detection section 914 detects, these recordmarkers are detected by a recorded marker detection section 926, therange of a data-recorded area is calculated by a last portion recordedmarker coordinate calculation section 928, and direct-read-after-writestart coordinates are output from the direct-read-after-write startcoordinate output section 922. That is, a small dot code marker need notbe detected, but the larger record markers 924 are detected tofacilitate a detecting operation.

Note that these record markers 924 can be used to perform positioning inthe printing section 866. More specifically, in the previous case,positioning in the printing section 866 demands a dot code readoperation as well, but positioning can be performed by using only therecord markers 924. That is, with detection of the record markers 924,data may be recorded with a space of about 1 mm being ensured between adata-recorded area and a direct-read-after-write portion, or may berecorded with an offset of about 1 mm in the vertical direction in FIG.100. Therefore, a direct-read-after-write operation can be very easilyperformed. The block address of a data-recorded block may be readdepending on the contents subjected to direct-read-after-writeprocessing. With this operation, by adding a block address next to thelast block address to a direct-read-after-write portion, the blockaddress of the portion can be made to have continuity as one code.

FIG. 101 shows a name card read system as an application using the aboveoverwrite type or direct-read-after-write type MMP card. In this system,a MMP name card 930 on which multimedia information is written as a dotcode is read by a MMP name card reader 932, an image is displayed on aCRT 938 of a personal computer or the like 936, and speech is generatedby a loudspeaker 938. The MMP name card reader 932 is the same as theabove information reproducing apparatus especially in terms ofarrangement. However, this apparatus is formed as a stationary typeapparatus rather than a pen type apparatus because the apparatus isdesigned to read a name card. As is apparent, the MMP name card reader932 may be provided in the form of a pen type information reproducingapparatus and a card type adaptor, as described above, and display andreproducing operations may be performed by an electronic notebook or thelike.

As in the case of the above overwrite or direct-read-after-write typeMMP card, a dot code may be printed on the lower surface of an MMP namecard 930 having an upper surface on which a company name, a section towhich the user belongs, a name, an address, and a telephone number arewritten, as shown in FIG. 102A. If English letters are written on thelower surface of a card as well, a dot code may be recorded by stealthprinting 940 using an infrared luminescent ink or fluorescent ink, asshown in 102B.

An MMP card formed by a semiconductor wafer etching scheme will bedescribed next. This card is obtained by recording a minute dot patternon a semiconductor wafer by using a semiconductor etching technique. Thereflectance of a wafer surface having undergone mirror finish isdifferent from an etched pattern portion. With this contrast, the dotcode can be read. In order to increase the contrast and the S/N ratio, amember such as aluminum which greatly differs in reflectance or colorfrom the wafer surface may be embedded in the etched dot code pattern.

FIGS. 103A and 103B and FIGS. 104A to 104C show the arrangement of thiscard. A wafer 942 on which a dot code pattern is recorded is embedded ina base 946 of a card body 944. In this case, since the dot code patternis recorded with a dot size at the several μm or sub-μm level, recordingcan be performed at a very high density. Therefore, a ROM card of agigabyte level can be realized.

In addition, this card need not perform a normal operation electrically,unlike a ROM-IC. For this reason, even if part of a pattern isdefective, error correction processing can be performed in a reproducingapparatus. Therefore, the yield of the card is much higher than that ofthe ROM-IC. In addition, the number of steps for the card is muchsmaller than that for the IC, the card can be supplied at a very lowcost.

However, the dot code pattern is formed at a very small pitch, carefulconsideration must be given to dust, fingerprints, and the like. Forexample, in order to protect the dot code pattern, a plurality of slidetype protective covers 948 are attached to the wafer 942 surface of thecard body 944, as shown in FIGS. 103A and 103B, or a single protectiveshutter 950 is attached to the surface, as shown in FIGS. 104A to 104C.

In this case, the number of protective covers 948 is four. These coverscan be selectively opened in several ways. For example, only a necessarycover may be opened, or the covers may be opened in the manner ofopening sliding doors. When the card is to be inserted, all the coversmay be slid to one side.

The protective shutter 950 is designed such that it is entirely openedwhen the card is inserted, and is closed when the card is removed. Forexample, as shown in FIGS. 104B and 104C, the wafer portion 942 is puton the base 946, and grooves 952 are formed in both sides of the base946. The protective shutter 950 is fitted in the grooves. A stopper 956is formed on the distal end of a pawl portion 954 on a side surface ofthe protective shutter 950. On the card base 946 side which receives theprotective shutter 950, the depth of each groove 952 decreases to stopthe stopper 956 to stop at a predetermined position, thereby preventingthe protective shutter 950 from being opened beyond a predeterminedposition.

When a dot code is to be reproduced from such an MMP card formed by thesemiconductor wafer etching scheme, a pen type information reproducingapparatus like the one described above may be used. In this case,however, an image formation optical system of the microscope level mustbe used. Alternatively, an image formation optical system may bemechanically moved in the form of a line sensor.

FIG. 105 shows a disk apparatus 958 with a dot code decoding function.More specifically, a dot code reproducing function and a recordingfunction are newly added to a known disk apparatus forrecording/reproducing audio information such as music information on amagnetooptical disk. In this apparatus, a dot code on a sheet 960 likethe one shown in FIG. 106 is scanned by using an operating section 962to reproduce a code, and the code is output to an information device 964such as a personal computer or an electronic notebook or an earphone966.

As shown in FIG. 107, according to a known arrangement, the diskapparatus 958 includes a spindle motor 968, an optical pickup 970, agrooves 972, a head driving circuit 974, an address decoder 976, an RFamplifier 978, a servo control circuit 980, an EFM (Eight to FourteenModulation)/ACIRC (Advanced Cross Interleave Read Solomon Code) circuit982, a memory controller 984 for anti-vibration, a memory 986, a displaysection 988, a key operation panel 990, a system controller 992, acompression/decompression processing section 994, an A/D converter 996,an audio input terminal 998, a D/A converter 1000, and an audio outputterminal 1002.

In this case, the EFM/ACIRC circuit 982 is a section for performingencoding and decoding operations in disk write and read operations. Thememory controller 984 for anti-vibration interpolates data by using thememory 986 to prevent sound omission caused by vibrations. Thecompression/decompression processing section 994 performscompression/decompression processing by using an audio efficient codingscheme called ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) as one type oftransform coding scheme of performing a coding operation by conversionfrom the time axis to the frequency axis.

The disk apparatus 958 with the dot code decoding function of thisembodiment is obtained by adding an image processing section 1004 forreceiving an image signal from the operating section 962 and performingprocessing like the one performed by the image processing section 460 inFIG. 55, a connection terminal 1006 and an I/F 1008 for the informationdevice 964. In addition, since the compression/decompression processingsection 994 is constituted by an ASIC-DSP and the like, the function ofthe data processing section 462 for performing demodulation and errorcorrection for reproduction of the above dot code and processing fordata compression/decompression for other information devices 1008 areincorporated in the compression/decompression processing section 994.

Note that the operating section 962 includes an optical system 1010, animage pickup element 1012, and an amplifier 1014 corresponding to, forexample, the image formation optical system 200, the image pickupsection 204, and the preamplifier 206 in FIG. 55, respectively.

In an information reproducing apparatus for reproducing a dot code, alarge-capacity memory is generally required to reproduce large-capacityinformation such as music information. If, however, the apparatus has arecording/reproducing section for a disk 1016, such a large-capacitymemory can be omitted. In addition, the sound reproducing section, i.e.,the sound compression/decompression processing section 994, the D/Aconverter 1000, and the like in this case, can be commonly used.Furthermore, if the speech compression/decompression processing section994 is formed to also serve as a data processing section for codereproduction processing, and is designed by using an ASIC-DSP, alow-cost, compact apparatus can be realized.

The disk apparatus 958 with the dot code decoding function, which hasthe above arrangement, can serve as a general disk apparatus forrecording/reproducing sound, performing selection of music, and thelike, and can also be used as a dot code reproducing apparatus. Thisfunction switching operation is performed by the operation of the keyoperation panel 990 under the control of the system controller 992.

When the disk apparatus 958 is to be used as a dot code reproducingapparatus, the following methods for use are assumed. As shown in FIG.106, music piece selection indexes, each consisting of a music piecename and a singer name, are written in character, and dot codescorresponding to the respective music pieces are recorded. In this case,since each music piece is information on the order of, e.g., three orfour minutes, each information is considerably long. For this reason,each dot code is divided and recorded on a plurality of lines, four inFIG. 106. That is, each music piece is divided into dot codes of aplurality of lines and recorded on a sheet while block addressesindicating the positions of blocks in the music piece are added to eachdot code, assuming that a block whose X and Y addresses are "1" and "1",respectively, is regarded as a header block. In a reproducing operation,all the dot codes on the plurality of lines are scanned, and theresultant data is recorded on the disk 1016.

At this time, even if scanning is performed at random, the music piececan be written on the disk 1016 in consideration of recording positionsbased on addresses indicating the positions of blocks in the musicpiece, i.e., can be recorded in a correct order. Assume that one musicpiece is divided into dot codes on four lines, as shown in FIG. 106, andthe dot code on the second line is scanned first by the operatingsection 962. Even in this case, since the ordinal number of the scanneddot code, i.e., that the dot code is the second dot code, is known fromthe address, the dot code can be recorded with a recording portion forthe first dot code being ensured. Therefore, when audio informationreproduced from dot codes is recorded on the simple printer system 106,the information can be reproduced in a correct order.

In addition, the user can form an original disk on which, for example,music pieces A and C are recorded first, and then a music piece D isrecorded, without using another audio reproducing apparatus, e.g., atape deck or a CD reproducing apparatus. Assume that the user scans thedot codes of a plurality of music pieces recorded on the sheet 960 inthe order of reproduction to be performed in a reproducing operationwhile seeing the music selection indexes. In this case, for example, themusic pieces can be recorded in the order of A, C, D, . . . . If themusic pieces are reproduced in the normal mode, they are reproduced inthe order named. That is, programming can be performed.

Note that as the information device 964, an image output apparatus canbe used. For example, an FMD is used, and JPEG and MPEG like thosedisclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 4-81673 are performed bythe compression/decompression processing section 994, together withthree-dimensional image decompression processing. The resultant data isconverted into a video signal by the I/F 1008. With this operation, athree-dimensional image corresponding to the read dot code can bedisplayed. As described above, this embodiment is not limited to audioinformation either.

In addition, as is apparent, this embodiment can be applied to otherdigital recording/reproducing apparatus such as a DAT.

A case wherein a dot code recording function is incorporated in a silverchloride camera.

FIGS. 108A and 108B show the arrangement of a rear cover 1018 of acamera capable of recording a multimedia information dot code. In thisarrangement, a two-dimensional LED array 1022 for recording a dot codeis arranged beside a member like a conventional data back for recordingdate information such as year, month, and day information by using anLED array 1020. A circuit incorporating section 1024 is arranged behindthe data back. A circuit for ON/OFF-controlling the LED array 1020 andthe like are incorporated in this section. In addition, a circuit systemfor recording a multimedia information dot code is incorporated in thesection to print data, as a dot code, on a silver chloride film (notshown) by using the LED array 1022. For example, a stickpin typemicrophone 1026 is connected to the circuit incorporating section 1024.Speech is picked up from the microphone 1026 and the correspondinginformation is exposed, as a dot code, on the film by using the LEDarray 1022.

In addition to the LED arrays 1020 and 1022, an electrical contact 1028for the camera body side is prepared for the data back 1018 becausecontrol is performed by using a CPU and the like of the camera body.Furthermore, a pawl portion 1032 of a hinge portion 1030 can be slid sothat the data back 1018 can be detached from the camera body by using apawl portion slide lever portion 1034. That is, this data back 1018 canbe replaced with the rear cover of the camera body.

This embodiment exemplifies the apparatus for recording a dot code atonce by using the two-dimensional LED array 1022. In contrast to this,FIG. 109A shows an apparatus for recording a dot code two-dimensionallyby moving a dot code recording LED unit 1036. As shown in FIG. 109B,this dot code recording LED unit 1036 is constituted by a linear LEDarray 1038 and a lens 1040 for focusing, e.g., reducing, light from theLED array 1038. Electrical signal electrodes 1042 for receiving signalsfor controlling the LED array 1038 extend from both sides thereof. Theelectrical signal electrodes 1042 are brought into slidable contact witha signal electrode plate 1044 on the data back 1018 side, which is shownin FIG. 109C, upon movement of the dot code recording LED unit 1036. Theelectrical signal electrodes 1042 receive data signals from the signalelectrode plate 1044. Note that a scan window 1048 consisting of, e.g.,a transparent glass or acrylic material is formed on a film press plate1046 of the data back 1018, and only the dot code recording LED unit1036 opposes a film (not shown).

When a two-dimensional LED array is to be used, necessary portions maybe electrically turned on without physically moving the array. When,however, this one-dimensional LED array 1038 is to be used, the dot coderecording LED unit 1036 must be moved. As a moving mechanism for thisunit, a mechanism like the one shown in FIG. 109D is conceivable. Morespecifically, the arrangement of this mechanism is basically the same asthat of a well known moving mechanism for the needle of a tuner. Whenpulleys 1052 are rotated by a motor 1050, the dot code recording LEDunit 1036 having two end fixed to wire lines 1054 wound around thepulleys 1052 is moved laterally. Since the wire lines 1054 do notdecompress/contract, the dot code recording LED unit 1036 can be movedwith high precision. In addition, in order to accurately translate thedot code recording LED unit 1036, the pulleys 1052 and the wire lines1054 are arranged on both sides of the dot code recording LED unit 1036.

In addition, as a moving mechanism for the dot code recording LED unit1036, an ultrasonic motor 1056 can be used, as shown in FIG. 109E. Theultrasonic motor 1056 applies vibrations to a vibration plate 1058 fortransferring ultrasonic wave motion as if waves were moved to right andleft. A movable member 1060 is then moved to right and left as if toride on the waves. Upon movement of the movable member 1060, the dotcode recording LED unit 1036 connected thereto is also moved to rightand left.

FIG. 110 shows the circuit arrangement of the data back 1018 shown inFIGS. 108A and 109A. Especially the portion enclosed with the brokenline indicates the arrangement of the data back 1018.

A CPU (e.g., a one-chip microcomputer) 1062 arranged in the camera bodycontrols the overall camera. An exposure control section 1064 performsexposure control on the basis of photometric data from a photometricsection 1066. The exposure control section 1064 controls a shutter speedor an aperture or both through a shutter control section 1068 and anaperture control section 1070 depending on a purpose or a mode, therebyperforming optimal exposure.

The CPU 1062 calculates a lens control amount by using lens informationheld on the lens or camera body side, and causes a lens control section1074 to perform necessary lens control. This control includes focuscontrol and zoom control. In addition, the CPU 1062 controls a shutteroperation in accordance with the operations of a focus lock button 1076and a release button 1078 (in general, one button mechanically serves asthe two buttons, and signals are independently output therefrom). TheCPU 1062 causes a motor control section 1080 to control a motor 1082 forwinding up a film.

In addition, the CPU 1062 can exchange data with a multimediainformation recording/reproducing section 1084, a multimedia informationLED controller 1086, and a date LED controller 1088 via the electricalcontact 1028 for the camera body side. The date LED controller 1088controls emission of a date LED array 1020 to print a photography dateand time on a film. The data back 1018 incorporates a date clockgenerator 1090 for generating a time pattern for this printingoperation.

In the multimedia information recording/reproducing section 1084, therecording system includes, for example, components ranging from acomponent for inputting speech to a component immediately before acomponent for code synthesis/edit processing in the arrangement shown inFIG. 15, i.e., up to a component for generating a pattern, whereas thereproducing system includes, for example, components ranging from thescan conversion section 186 to the D/A conversion section 266 in FIG.17. The multimedia information LED controller 1086 controls emission ofthe LED arrays 1022 or 1038 in accordance with a dot code pattern outputfrom the multimedia information recording/reproducing section 1084. Inthe case shown in FIG. 108A, the LED array 1022 is used, the dot codepattern can be exposed with only this arrangement. In contrast to this,in the case shown in FIG. 109A, since the LED array 1038 must be moved,the motor 1050 is driven by the LED array moving motor controller 1092to move the dot code recording LED unit 1036. The multimedia informationLED controller 1086 sequentially supplies necessary code information tobe recorded at a given position to the LED array 1038 and causes it toemit light in accordance with the timing of movement by the motor 1050.

Note that a various mode setting key 1094 is arranged on the camera bodyside. This key is constituted by several buttons. Alternatively, a modeswitching button, a setting button, and the like may be separatelyarranged. In addition, the key may be arranged on the data back side. Inthis case, a key operation signal is supplied to the CPU 1062 via theelectrical contact.

In the above arrangement, for example, a dot code is exposed onto a filmin the following manner. When an operation signal from the focus lock1076 button, which is an indicator of the start of a photographicoperation, is activated, the CPU 1062 loads speech from the microphone1026 into the multimedia information recording/reproducing section 1084,and causes a storage section (not shown) in the multimedia informationrecording/reproducing section 1084 to sequentially store speech datacorresponding to a predetermined period of time. For example, thispredetermined period of time is set to be, e.g., five or ten seconds inadvance, and the maximum capacity of a memory (not shown) is set inaccordance with the predetermined period of second. Speech data is thensequentially and cyclically stored in the memory, similar to a generalvoice recorder. When the release button 1078 is depressed, the CPU 1062causes the multimedia information recording/reproducing section 1084 toconvert speech some seconds (e.g., five seconds) before the depressionof the button or before and after (e.g., one second after and threeseconds before) the depression of the button into a dot code. Thissetting can be performed by the user through the mode setting key 1094.The speech stored in the multimedia information recording/reproducingsection 1084 is actually converted into a code. The code is printed on afilm by the LED arrays 1022 or 1038. After this operation, the CPU 1062performs a film wind-up operation. As is apparent, the LED array movingmotor controller 1092 and the film wind-up motor control section 1080may be properly synchronized with each other so that a recordingoperation can be performed while the film is wound up upon matching ofthe speed and timing of movement. In this case, the apparatus canproperly cope with high-speed sequence shooting and the like. Inaddition, the dot code recording LED unit 1036 may be fixed, and arecording operation can be performed while a film wind-up operation isperformed. In this case, one motor can be omitted.

As is apparent, in addition to recording of speech as dot codeinformation on a film, various information on the camera side, which issupplied from the CPU 1062, e.g., information indicating the type of alens currently used, a shutter speed, and an aperture, can be recorded.That is, for example, specific conditions in which a photographicoperation is performed can be known after a photograph is completed. Ingeneral, such information is to be retained in user's memory. With thearrangement of this embodiment, by reproducing a dot code on a film orphotographic paper on which the film is printed through the multimediainformation dot code reproducing apparatus, the information can beselectively displayed, and the user can know conditions and the like setin the camera in a photographic operation. When, for example, the userwants to take a picture in the same conditions as those previously set,the same conditions can be easily set. Especially when pictures are tobe routinely taken, e.g., changes in specific scenery are to be takenmonthly, such a camera is very useful.

FIG. 111 shows a case wherein a film on which a dot code is printed issubjected to photoprinting. In this case, for example, a dot code 1096and a date code 1098 written on a film are subjected, as pictures, tophotoprinting, together with the other picture portion 1100. In thiscase, sound information or various camera information can be reproducedby scanning the dot code 1096 with the above multimedia information dotcode reproducing apparatus. If, for example, only a dot code isextracted and printed on the lower surface of a photographic paper onthe DPE side, only a photograph is printed on the upper surface of thecard to obtain a photograph similar to a conventional photograph. Inaddition, if trimming information in the DPE such as zooming/panoramicmode switching information is recorded, as one piece of camerainformation, on a film, the DPE can perform photoprinting in thepanoramic or zooming mode by scanning the dot code on the film andreading the information.

When a dot code is printed on a film, double exposure is performedtogether with an actual scene. In this case, if strong external light isincident, the dot code may not be properly printed. For this reason, forexample, in some conventional camera capable of coping with thepanoramic mode, when the panoramic mode is set, a light-shielding plateis inserted vertically to prevent a scene from being printed on theshielded portion. A similar function may be employed. More specifically,a light-shielding plate may be automatically inserted, or thelight-shielding plate may be fitted in a portion in front of a film andbehind the lens if the camera is designed to print a dot code. Inaddition, a code may be recorded on a marginal portion (portion freefrom exposure) of a film.

Referring to FIG. 110, a pen type information reproducing apparatus 1102may be connected to the data back 1018 to display camera information,i.e., aperture information, shutter information, lens information, andthe like on, e.g., an LCD mode display section 1104 incorporated in therear side of the camera back or the camera body or an LED displaysection 1106 in the finder. In addition, a mode may be set in the sameconditions as those read from the dot code 1096 by scanning it. That is,when the dot code on a film or a photograph is scanned, the respectiveconditions on the camera side are automatically set in accordance withthe corresponding mode. As a result, the same shutter speed, the sameaperture, and the same magnification of the lens as those read from thedot code are set.

As has been described in detail above, according to the presentinvention, there is provided a dot code which allows low-cost,large-capacity recording of multimedia information including audioinformation and digital code data and can be repeatedly reproduced, andan information recording/reproducing system capable ofrecording/reproducing the dot code.

We claim:
 1. An optically readable dot code comprising blocks arrangedand sized so that a plurality of said blocks fits within a field of viewof a reader for scanning the blocks to optically read the dot code, eachof the blocks including:a data dot pattern comprising a plurality ofdots arranged in accordance with contents of information to be recorded,a marker by which the existence of the block is recognized, and a blockaddress pattern representing an address of the block in the dot code,the data dot pattern, the marker, and the block address pattern beingarranged in accordance with a predetermined positional relationshipwithin each block; wherein the address of each block is such that theblocks can be individually identified and the dot code correctly readirrespective of an order in which the blocks are scanned by the reader.2. A dot code according to claim 1, wherein the blocks are arranged inlines in two directions different from each other so as to be adjacentto each other.
 3. A dot code according to claim 2, wherein the data dotpattern in each of the blocks is constituted by a plurality of dotswhich are two-dimensionally arranged in accordance With a predeterminedformat.
 4. A dot code according to claim 3, wherein the blocks areformed to have the same size.
 5. A dot code according to claim 4,wherein an area of the dot code is set larger than the field of view ofthe reading means.
 6. A dot code according to claim 4, wherein:each ofthe blocks are formed to have a rectangular shape, the marker of each ofthe blocks is arranged such that a corner of each of the blocks islocated on a center of the marker, and the data dot pattern is locatedin a region surrounded by the markers at the four corners of each of theblocks.
 7. A dot code according to claim 3, wherein the blocks areformed to have the same size such that blocks on an imaging face of areader for optically reading the dot codes have a size smaller than theimaging area.
 8. A dot code according to claim 7, wherein an area of thedot code on the reading face is set larger than the imaging area of thereader.
 9. A dot code according to claim 7, wherein:each of the blocksare formed to have a rectangular shape, the marker of each of the blocksis arranged such that a corner of each of the blocks is located on acenter of the marker, and the data dot pattern is located in a regionsurrounded by the markers at the four corners of each of the blocks. 10.A dot code according to claim 9, wherein the blocks adjacent to eachother have a marker in common at the corner in contact with each other.11. A dot code according to claim 9, wherein the blocks adjacent to eachother have a marker in common at the corner in contact with each other,and the block address pattern is arranged in a region between a pair ofmarkers located at positions corresponding to one side common to theadjacent blocks.
 12. A dot code according to claim 11, wherein themarkers are separated from the block address pattern by a predetermineddistance.
 13. A dot code according to claim 11, wherein the blockaddress patterns are separated from the data dot patterns by apredetermined distance.
 14. A dot code according to claim 11, whereinthe markers are separated from the data dot pattern by a predetermineddistance.
 15. A dot code according to claim 11, wherein the blockaddress pattern comprises a dot pattern for pattern-matching, which isdirected in a predetermined direction.
 16. A dot code according to claim15, wherein the markers and the pattern-matching dot pattern areseparated from each other by a predetermined distance.
 17. A dot codeaccording to claim 15, wherein pattern-matching dot patterns areseparated from the data dot patterns by a predetermined distance.
 18. Adot code according to claim 9, wherein the blocks adjacent to each otherhave a marker in common at the corner in contact with each other, and adot pattern for pattern-matching is arranged in a region between a pairof markers located at positions corresponding to one side common to theadjacent blocks.
 19. A dot code according to claim 18, wherein themarkers are separated from the pattern-matching dot pattern by apredetermined distance.
 20. A dot code according to claim 18, whereinpattern-matching dot patterns are separated from the data dot patternsby a predetermined distance.
 21. A dot code according to claim 1,wherein the data dot pattern in each of the blocks is constituted by aplurality of dots which are two-dimensionally arranged in accordancewith a predetermined format.
 22. A dot code according to claim 21,wherein:the blocks are formed to have a rectangular shape, the marker isarranged such that a corner of each of the blocks is located on a centerof the marker, and the data dot pattern and the block address patternare located in a region surrounded by the markers at the four corners ofeach of the blocks.
 23. A dot code according to claim 22, wherein theblock address pattern is arranged in a region between a pair of markerslocated at positions corresponding to one side of the rectangular shape.24. A dot code according to claim 1, wherein each of the markers isconstituted by a pattern which cannot be identical to the data dotpattern.
 25. A dot code according to claim 1, wherein the markers areseparated from the block address pattern by a predetermined distance.26. A dot code according to claim 1, wherein the block address patternsare separated from the data dot patterns by a predetermined distance.27. A dot code according to claim 1, wherein the markers are separatedfrom the data dot pattern by a predetermined distance.
 28. A dot codeaccording to claim 1, wherein the markers are directed to correspond tothat of an arrangement of the data dot pattern.
 29. A dot code accordingto claim 28, wherein the marker includes a sub-mark representing thatthe marker is directed to correspond to a direction of an arrangement ofthe data dot pattern.
 30. A dot code according to claim 1, wherein themarker is formed to be shaped irrelevant to the direction of anarrangement of the data dot pattern.
 31. A dot code according to claim1, wherein the block address pattern includes block address data and atleast one of error correction code data and error detection code data ofthe block address data.
 32. A dot code according to claim 31, whereinthe block address pattern includes a dot pattern for pattern-matching,which is directed in a predetermined direction in a part of at least oneof error correction code data and error detection code data of the blockaddress data.
 33. An information recording system for recording a dotcode on a recording medium so as to be optically read, the dot codecomprising blocks arranged and sized so that a plurality of said blocksfits within a field of view of a reader for scanning the blocks tooptically read the dot code,each of the blocks including:a data dotpattern comprising a plurality of dots arranged in accordance withcontents of information data to be recorded, a marker by which theexistence of the block is recognized, and a block address patternrepresenting an address of the block in the dot code, the data dotpattern, the marker, and the block address pattern being arranged inaccordance with a predetermined positional relationship within eachblock; wherein the address of each block is such that the blocks can beindividually identified and the dot code correctly read irrespective ofan order in which the blocks are scanned by the reader; the informationrecording system comprising:input means for inputting the informationdata to be recorded; conversion means for converting the informationdata input by said input means into dot code data; and recording meansfor recording on the recording medium the dot code data converted bysaid conversion means, as optically readable dot code.
 34. Aninformation recording system according to claim 33, wherein the blocksare arranged in lines in two directions different from each other so asto be adjacent to each other.
 35. An information recording systemaccording to claim 34, wherein the data dot pattern in each of theblocks is constituted by a plurality of dots which are two-dimensionallyarranged in accordance with a predetermined format.
 36. An informationrecording system according to claim 33, wherein said conversion meansincludes:data arranging means for arranging information data input fromsaid input means so as to be suitable to be recorded, and data additionmeans for generating address-added data comprising data of the blockaddress and data output from said data arranging means in accordancewith a predetermined format.
 37. An information recording systemaccording to claim 36, wherein said conversion means furtherincludes:modulating means for modulating the address-added data outputfrom said data addition means in order to distinguish the address-addeddata from the marker, and marker addition means for adding at least onemarker to the data modulated by said modulating means.
 38. Aninformation recording system according to claim 37, further comprisingsynthesizing means for synthesizing the data output from said markeraddition means and the other data to be recorded on the recordingmedium, and wherein said recording means records on the recording mediumin a form corresponding to the contents of the data synthesized by saidsynthesizing means.
 39. An information recording system according toclaim 33, wherein said conversion means includes:data arranging meansfor arranging information data input from said input means so as to besuitable to be recorded, modulating means for modulating the data outputfrom said data addition means in order to distinguish the data from themarker, and marker addition means for adding data of the marker to thedata modulated by said modulating means.
 40. An information recordingsystem according to claim 33, wherein said conversion meansincludes:data arranging means for arranging information data input fromsaid input means so as to be suitable to be recorded, modulating meansfor modulating the data output from said data arranging means in orderto distinguish the data from the marker, and data addition means forgenerating address-added data comprising data of the block address anddata output from said modulating means in accordance with apredetermined format.
 41. An information recording system according toclaim 33, wherein said conversion means includes:interleaving means for,when the information data input from said input means is arranged so asto be suitable to be recorded, changing the arrangement of data inaccordance with a predetermined rule such that the data istwo-dimensionally dispersed in the dot code to be recorded, and markeraddition means for adding data of the marker to the data having thearrangement of which are changed by said interleaving means.
 42. Aninformation recording system according to claim 33, wherein saidconversion means includes:interleaving means for, when the informationdata input from said input means is arranged so as to be suitable to berecorded, changing the arrangement of data in accordance with apredetermined rule such that the data is two-dimensionally dispersed inthe dot code to be recorded, and data addition means for generatingaddress-added data comprising data of the block address and data havingthe arrangement of which are changed by said interleaving means inaccordance with a predetermined format.
 43. An optically readable dotcode comprising blocks arranged and sized so that a plurality of saidblocks fits on an imaging face of an imaging element of a reader forscanning the blocks to optically read the dot code, each of the blocksincluding:a data dot pattern comprising a plurality of dots arranged inaccordance with contents of information to be recorded, a marker bywhich the presence of the block is recognized, and a block addresspattern representing an address of the block in the dot code, the datadot pattern, the marker, and the block address pattern being arranged inaccordance with a predetermined positional relationship within eachblock; wherein the address of each block is such that the blocks can beindividually identified and the dot code correctly read irrespective ofan order in which the blocks are scanned by the reader.